If you want to check your colour IQ and how you see different shades, there are plenty of online quizzes you can do to measure it – and in private too.  By playing around with words, images, numbers and patterns, the designers of IQ tests can give you a pretty good idea of what your IQ is. So how do you measure yours?

One test I saw recently is a little bit different from the norm in that it measures your colour IQ. http://xritephoto.com/ph_toolframe.aspx?action=coloriq Basically you are given a range of colours and need to rank them in the order in which they are shaded. Depending on how quickly and accurately you do it gives the results of your colour IQ.

Of course, it also depends on how accurate your computer screen monitor is. Overtime, the colour accuracy of your monitor will change and the display colours will fade and not replicate correctly. If you’re a photographer or designer, this is something you need to be aware of, as the colours on screen won’t match what you are looking for.

If this is a problem to you, you can find online software to help you set your monitor correctly for colour, brightness and contrast.

There are also some great online colour tools for helping you to look at colours in great depth – matching up a colour palette in the subtlest of shades, that to the naked eye may not differ very much, but create a very different picture when used together.  http://xritephoto.com/ph_toolframe.aspx?action=colorpalettes.  Pantone is a great site for investigating colour options as is Dulux, if you are looking for inspiration on interior design. In the past, experimenting with colour on your walls was a bit hit and miss with the colour often looking quite different as a shade when dry than it did on the colour card.

Dulux has a tool called a ‘mouse painter’ which is fantastic for those planning to redecorate a room and you can see exactly how the room will look in the shades you are considering – and avoid making costly and time-consuming mistakes. It works very easily, you just upload an image of the room you are looking to redecorate to the Dulux site (remember to take a picture at different times of day, so the light hits differently). Then you look through all the different permutations of colour paint that are offered. Then just drag and drop the colours you’re interested in and really experiment with the look and effect you are creating. If you don’t like it, then wipe the room clean with a click on your keyboard and start again. It’s so simple.

When you do like the colour scheme you have chosen, you can order your paints online in full confidence, knowing that your room decoration is going to look just the way you want it to as you’ve taken the time to consider your choices!

Charlie blogs about design, health and vision for glasses online provider Direct Sight.co.uk.