How seasonal color analysis works

The method behind the 12 palettes and the quiz, in plain words.

Three qualities

Colors, and people's natural coloring, differ in three ways: hue (warm, golden vs cool, bluish), value (light vs deep) and chroma (bright and clear vs soft and muted). The 12-season system, which grew out of the classic four-season approach, gives every season one dominant quality and one secondary quality.

How the quiz scores you

Each answer nudges three scores: warm–cool, light–deep and bright–soft. The totals are compared with a reference point for each of the 12 seasons, and the closest one is your result, with the second closest as a runner-up. When the two are nearly tied, or your answers point nowhere strongly, the result says so instead of pretending to be sure.

What a quiz cannot do

It relies on what you notice about yourself, and lighting, hair dye and memory all add error. Use the result as a shortlist and confirm it by holding clothes in each palette under your face in daylight. An in-person draping with a trained analyst is the most reliable method.

About the swatches

Palettes are representative selections written for this site, not an official standard; analysts draw seasons slightly differently and screens show colors differently. Use them as a direction, not exact paint chips.

Last updated 2026-10-18.