More butterfly. Less glowworm.

How CM makes color feel natural.

Tesserae ColorMorph Material takes on color the same way objects in nature do—by reflecting light. For example, an apple is red because when light hits it, the apple absorbs most of the color spectrum except for the red light, which it reflects. Compare this to, for example, a video screen where colored light is emitted from the display. This results in colors that feel integral to the material—CM looks blue (or green or grey or what have you) because it is blue (or green or grey or what have you). Direct light and sunlight don’t diminish the colors of CM—they enhance it. It is, in terms of the fundamental quality and experience of color, the exact opposite of a video display.

Why reflected color is natural color.

With a few exceptions—the glowworm, the fire-fly, some deep sea creatures—nature does not glow. The vibrant and subtle colors of the natural world are the product of reflected light. And it is through reflected light that we experience the colors and textures of the world around us. Tesserae ColorMorph Material brings that integral, natural quality of color to a dynamic, controllable substrate. When we are asked to look at a projected light source—a neon sign, for example, or a TV over a bar—the effect is intense, but also sometimes harsh, fatiguing and largely synthetic feeling. CM allows designers to play with natural, true colors—changing colors—in a way never before possible.