Andrew Kelsall | Graphic Designer

Earlier this month, I wrote an article about simultaneous contrast entitled Amazing color effect that all designers should see. This new “illusion” is based on the principle of successive contrast, whereby the absence of a particular color produces a visual perception of its opposite.

As a demonstration of this, please follow these instructions before triggering the “color-illusion” that the image below can produce when looked at properly.

Stare at the white-cross in the center of the Green & Yellow Union Jack Flag for a whole minute. Then, stare into the black-cross of the white image and blink a few times. All-going-well, you should see the Union Jack appear before your eyes—in the correct blue, white and red colors.

Did you see it? I’m not trying to indoctrinate every nation into Britishness here, it’s just that this is a great example of this “illusion” As a designer, such color-displays and illusions really inspire me—and I love to experience both the limitations and wonders of our sight.

Knowing these things can aid every designer at some point. Please tell me if there’s any other illustrations of successive contrast you know of…