> so a bit of a biased sample, and I'd wager primarily due to changes in materials
Yes, the wood telegraph in the article is a good example of this. Because of wood’s texture, it contains a bunch of colors from red to yellow when you look at it at the pixel level. It’s more colorful than an iPhone, but the variety of pixels alone gives the impression that it’s more colorful than it is.
I can only speak anecdotally but I comment on the drabness of car colours every time I'm out driving with a passenger. It's extremely noticeable.
Just came here to agree—It seems to me that both colors and the shapes are converging. Way too much similarity for my taste.
Also, in the same way US legislation killed the station wagon and created the SUV, the latest CAFE standards are creating many boring to drive automobiles.
The headline graphic is from https://lab.sciencemuseum.org.uk/colour-shape-using-computer... which really tells us about the colour of a subset of objects in the Science Museum's collection – so a bit of a biased sample, and I'd wager primarily due to changes in materials.
There does seem to be maybe 20% more neutral-coloured cars since 1990, though. Interior design is probably the thing I'd most readily say has become more muted in my lifetime. I guess I'd say the world has become less saturated rather than less colourful.