Colouring outside the (stereotypical) lines: Rethinking colour and gender in design

This paper investigates the role of colour in shaping gendered perceptions of consumer products and its implications for inclusive design. Drawing on a qualitative study with design students, it examines how all three colour properties — hue, saturation, and lightness — interact to reinforce or challenge binary gender associations. Findings indicate that lightness strongly signalled femininity or masculinity, saturation extremes reinforced binary readings, and mid-range values often fostered ambiguity and androgyny. The results also show how stereotypes persist when designers rely uncritically on cultural codes yet demonstrate colour’s potential to disrupt gender norms and expand aesthetic possibilities. Building on these insights, the paper proposes the foundation of the Colour + Gender Framework—a tool to guide more intentional chromatic decisions in product design. The framework supports strategies that move beyond stereotypes, destabilise reductive binaries, and promote more inclusive and equitable design outcomes.