How High Is Your Color & Design IQ?

The questions

All 10 questions in this quiz. Correct answers stay hidden until you finish.

1. 1

   Which came first: the color name or the fruit?

   • The color — the fruit was named after it
   • The fruit — the color was named after it
2. 2

   What was ultramarine blue, historically the most expensive paint pigment, made from?

   • Lapis lazuli stone
   • Crushed sea snails
3. 3

   Why are blue butterflies and peacock feathers blue?

   • A rare blue pigment found only in tropical species
   • Structural color — light reflecting off microscopic ridges, not pigment
4. 4

   Vantablack, the darkest artificial substance ever created, absorbs how much visible light?

   • About 99.96%
   • About 89.5%
5. 5

   How is the Eiffel Tower painted?

   • One single uniform shade from top to bottom
   • Three shades — darkest at the bottom, lightest at the top — to create the illusion of uniform color

Score bands

Your final score places you in one of these bands.

Color Newbie0-30 points

You are just starting your journey into the world of color and design. That is perfectly fine — behind every everyday color is a story you would not expect, and now you know ten of them!

Casual Observer31-60 points

You have a decent sense of color and design trivia. You notice visual details sometimes. Keep exploring — the hidden world of color history is full of surprises.

Design Eye61-80 points

You know your colors and their history well. Friends probably ask for your opinion when picking palettes or decorating. Your eye for design is genuinely sharp.

Color Oracle81-100 points

Your knowledge of color is essentially expert-level. From lapis lazuli to structural coloration, you see things others cannot. Your eyes are the most precise color instruments around.

How this quiz works

Each question has one correct answer. When you finish, you get your score and can review every question with the correct answer and, where we have one, a short explanation.