After receiving feedback from my lecturer, I was encouraged to look more closely at the source material — particularly the London Underground map, which plays a key role in the concept behind my project. This pushed me to rethink the colour palette I had originally created. My first versions were soft, pastel-toned and personally quite appealing to me. They suited the playful, chaotic feeling of the visuals, but they didn’t necessarily reflect the real-world systems or the accessibility challenges my project explores.
The more I studied the Underground map, the more I realised how intentionally its colours had been chosen. They aren’t there for style — they’re used for clarity, visibility, and fast navigation, especially in stressful environments. That understanding made me reconsider how my own work could be both expressive and functional.
As I began adapting the colour palette, I made choices based on my dyslexia research. I started by removing red and green tones, as they can be harder to process for people with dyslexia or colour vision deficiencies. Instead, I focused on colours that provide high contrast and are easier to differentiate — like yellow, blue, turquoise, and purple — which are all present in the Underground system.
After this, I began intentionally selecting conflicted and contrasting colour pairings. This was a deliberate move informed by my research, which showed that contrast can actually help draw attention and improve readability for neurodivergent users. I leaned into clashing colours, allowing them to reflect the sense of disorientation or overstimulation that’s often part of navigating systems like the Tube — especially for people who experience the world differently.
The newer palette is louder, brighter, and more practical, even if it’s less “aesthetic” in the traditional sense. But it better serves the message and audience of the project. It marks a shift from designing just for style, to designing with empathy, clarity, and purpose.
This whole process has taught me that colour isn’t just about personal preference or visual harmony, it’s a powerful tool for inclusion, communication, and connection.
Final colour pallet
The colour palette features a bold and expressive mix of acid yellow (#FFF141), soft lilac (#DEBEFB), aqua teal (#00A6A8), hot magenta (#CD2488), electric purple (#AB69ED), coral red (#FD5064), and chartreuse green (#D7E027). These colours were carefully chosen to feel vibrant, energetic, and unmistakably individual—rejecting traditional transport greys in favour of something more joyful and disruptive. Together, they reflect the diversity and unpredictability of neurodivergent experiences, helping to visually re-map the Underground with colour, personality, and clarity on neurodivergent terms.
