Is Color Blindness the End of Your Design Career? The Answer Will Surprise You!

Design is a field that requires sophistication and sensitivity to color. So can people with color blindness pursue this industry? Are the doors of creativity really closed to them? Let's explore in the article below.

1. What is color blindness?

Color blindness is also known as color vision disorder. This is a condition in which the eyes cannot distinguish some or all colors. The eyes can still see the shapes of objects clearly but have difficulty recognizing and distinguishing colors from each other. Color blindness is more common in men than women. According to statistics, the rate of women with the disease is 1 in 200 people. Meanwhile, the rate of men is 1 in 12 people.

Color blindness is divided into many different types, mainly according to the colors that the patient cannot distinguish and according to different levels of severity. The main types of color blindness include:

Red-green color blindness: This is the most common and mildest form of the condition. The patient mistakes green and yellow for red, and has difficulty distinguishing purple and blue. In some cases, red is seen as black, or red as yellow-brown…

Blue-yellow color blindness: This is a less common form of the disease, often causing the patient to mistake blue for green and not be able to distinguish between red, yellow, and pink.

Monochromatic color blindness: This is the most severe and rare type of disease, causing the patient to only see 2-3 basic colors such as white, black, gray or white, black, blue or completely mix the colors together.

There are many causes of color blindness. The most common cause is genetics, but there are also complications from chronic diseases and side effects of certain medications. Although this disease is not life-threatening, it can make life difficult for the patient. Typically, it affects the patient's daily activities and career choices.

2. Can color blind people do design?

2.1. Difficulties of color blind people

Color blindness is a disease that directly affects the patient's vision. Meanwhile, design is a field that requires sensitivity and understanding of visual elements such as shapes, textures, layouts, etc. Color is also one of those factors. The lack of ability to distinguish colors will be a big difficulty for color blind people if they want to pursue a career in design. Ordinary designers can spend a lot of time just to choose a suitable color tone for the design. The tones sometimes differ only by a small parameter in lightness, darkness, brightness, and darkness. Imagine if you were color blind, how difficult it would be for you to get lost in a maze of colors when you still could not distinguish the most basic colors such as blue, red, yellow, etc.

2.2. Designers who cannot distinguish colors

Color blind people will certainly face many obstacles if they choose to pursue a career in design. However, that does not mean that they cannot become designers.

Matej Latin is a UX designer in London, England. He is also color blind and did not share about his condition because he was afraid that he would not be able to find a design job. Despite his condition, Matej Latin has shown that he still does a good job as a UX designer, continuously providing quality products to customers. Currently, Latin has freely shared about his condition in the hope of helping people understand more about color blindness. He said that he also knows many designers who have this condition. But they still pursue this job, they have done it with passion for design.

When asked about her advice for future colorblind designers, Latin said that it’s okay to keep quiet if it’s going to hurt your chances. But at some point, you can turn this handicap into a competitive advantage. The creative world is always looking for something unique. “Colorblindness” can become such a unique thing. There are certain opportunities for you to take advantage of this seemingly unfortunate competitive advantage.

It is undeniable that color blind people will face many challenges when pursuing a design career. However, with creativity, perseverance and the right support tools, they can still assert themselves and create unique works in their own style.  The design industry does not only revolve around color but also emphasizes ideas, layout and visual experience. Therefore, if you are truly passionate, do not let any barriers stop you. The creative world is always open, as long as you are determined and love your job!