Prismatic light creating colorful interior.

Decoding Color: How Unique Hue Perceptions Shape Design and Our Understanding of Light

Avery Sinclair in Science & Nature August 2025 • 5 min read.

"Dive into how saturated and desaturated colors impact our perception of unique hues under different lighting, influencing everything from interior design to digital displays."

Color is more than just a visual sensation; it's a fundamental aspect of how we perceive the world around us. From the clothes we wear to the environments we inhabit, color influences our moods, decisions, and overall experiences. The concept of 'unique hues' – those pure, primary colors that seem to exist without a trace of other colors – has intrigued scientists and artists for centuries.

Imagine a red so pure it contains no hint of yellow or blue, or a green that is neither yellowish nor bluish. These are unique hues, and understanding how we perceive them is crucial for various applications, from developing accurate color appearance models to creating visually harmonious designs. Historically, researchers have explored unique hues using highly saturated colors under standard lighting conditions. However, recent studies are delving deeper into how desaturated colors and varying light sources affect our hue perception.

This exploration is essential because the colors we encounter daily are rarely perfectly saturated, and the light illuminating them is seldom 'standard'. Think of the subtle pastels in a calming bedroom or the warm, muted tones of a sunset. To truly understand color, we need to consider the interplay between saturation, lighting, and our individual perception.

How Does Light Affect the Colors We See?

Prismatic light creating colorful interior.

Light dramatically changes how we see color. The color of an object isn't just a property of the object itself; it's a result of how that object interacts with light. Different light sources have different spectral power distributions (SPDs), meaning they emit varying amounts of light at different wavelengths. This affects the colors that are reflected back to our eyes, and thus, how we perceive them.

To investigate this further, researchers conducted experiments where observers were asked to identify unique hues from a set of Munsell color samples. These samples varied in both saturation (how pure the color is) and the type of light under which they were viewed. The light sources were carefully controlled to have different correlated color temperatures (CCTs) and Duv values, which essentially means they varied in warmth and tint.

Correlated Color Temperature (CCT): Measured in Kelvin (K), CCT describes the 'warmth' or 'coolness' of a light source. Lower CCTs (e.g., 2700K) appear warmer (yellowish), while higher CCTs (e.g., 6500K) appear cooler (bluish).
Duv: This value represents the distance of a light source's chromaticity from the Planckian locus (blackbody locus) on a chromaticity diagram. It indicates the tint of the light – whether it leans towards green or magenta.
Munsell Color System: A system that specifies colors based on three color dimensions: hue, value (lightness), and chroma (color purity).

The study revealed that the type of light source significantly impacted the perception of unique hues, especially for blue and yellow. Desaturated samples, in particular, showed a marked difference in how these hues were perceived compared to highly saturated samples. This suggests that the interplay between light and color saturation is more complex than previously thought.

What Does This Mean for Design and Technology?

These findings have significant implications for various fields. For designers, understanding how light and saturation affect color perception is crucial for creating visually appealing and functional spaces. Whether it's choosing the right paint colors for a room or designing a user interface for a digital device, the interplay between light and color can greatly impact the user experience. For technologists, this research highlights the need for more accurate color appearance models that can account for the complexities of human vision. Models like CIECAM02 are constantly being refined, and studies like this provide valuable data for improving their accuracy and predictive power. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of color perception will lead to better designs, more realistic displays, and a more visually harmonious world.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1002/col.22340, Alternate LINK

Title: Unique Hue Judgments Using Saturated And Desaturated Munsell Samples Under Different Light Sources

Subject: General Chemical Engineering

Journal: Color Research & Application

Publisher: Wiley

Authors: Hsin‐Pou Huang, Minchen Wei, Kaida Xiao, Li‐Chen Ou

Published: 2018-12-20

Everything You Need To Know

What are 'unique hues,' and why is understanding their perception important in the context of design and color science?

Unique hues are those pure colors that don't seem to contain any trace of other colors, such as a red with no hint of blue or yellow. Understanding how we perceive these hues is essential for creating accurate color appearance models and visually harmonious designs. Historically, research focused on saturated colors under standard lighting, but now there's increased focus on how desaturated colors and varying light sources affect this perception. This exploration is important because the colors we see daily are rarely perfectly saturated, and the light illuminating them is seldom standard.

How does light influence the colors we see, and what metrics are used to quantify these variations in studies about color perception?

Light dramatically affects color perception because the color of an object results from its interaction with light. Different light sources have different spectral power distributions (SPDs), emitting varying amounts of light at different wavelengths. Researchers use metrics like Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), measured in Kelvin (K), to describe the warmth or coolness of a light source, and Duv, which indicates the tint of the light towards green or magenta, to precisely control and measure light variations in color perception experiments.

What is the Munsell color system, and how is it utilized in studies related to color perception and the impact of light?

The Munsell color system is a color space that specifies colors based on three dimensions: hue, value (lightness), and chroma (color purity or saturation). In color perception studies, researchers use the Munsell color system to systematically vary and assess how differences in saturation and hue affect human perception under different lighting conditions. The Munsell system provides a standardized way to define and communicate about color, which is critical for scientific accuracy and consistency.

What did the study reveal about how light sources and saturation levels affect the perception of unique hues, specifically regarding blue and yellow?

The study indicates that the perception of unique hues is significantly influenced by the light source, especially for blue and yellow. Desaturated samples showed marked differences compared to highly saturated samples. This suggests the interplay between light and color saturation is complex and impacts how we perceive color. Further research into how variations in saturation affect hue perception under different lighting conditions is needed to refine color appearance models.

What are the implications of understanding color perception for designers and technologists, particularly in creating user interfaces and realistic displays?

Understanding how light and saturation affect color perception is crucial for creating visually appealing and functional designs, whether it's selecting paint colors or designing user interfaces. Accurate color appearance models, such as CIECAM02, are essential for technologists to simulate realistic displays. These models consider factors like light, saturation and unique hues to predict how colors will be perceived under different conditions, enabling better designs and visually harmonious experiences.