The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St. Clair

There are colors that you may have heard of, and more than a few that you haven’t. This highly original book takes a look at all of them and gives you all the meanings and symbolism of colors that you may never have thought about. Rated by USA Today as one of their “Top 100 Books to Read While Stuck at Home During the Coronavirus Crisis”—I’m pretty sure this was the first time I came across the book too. Since then, I have referred to it often when I’m going through an exercise to work on a book cover design or selecting a color for some marketing effort.

There are also moments when I’ll just flip through the book out of curiosity or as a diversion. There are many ways to use this book, and the combination of beautiful layout and clever writing makes The Secret Lives of Colour one of those unique books that is equally at home whether you keep it untouched on your bookshelf or you choose to open it up on occasion and delight in learning just a little more about the secret life of colors.