INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS: can you explain why color choices work?

An accent color on 5-10% of a product draws attention to what matters. The same color covering the entire product becomes the identity. Anything in between just looks indecisive.

Look at Dieter Rams' work for Braun. When he used minimal color, it was pure function. The yellow equals button on calculators signals the primary action. The orange dial on radios shows where to interact. When he went full saturation, yellow clocks and orange fans, color became the product statement itself.

So when do you use each approach? Minimal accent when you need to direct attention to specific functions. Full color when the product's personality or category placement demands it. No color when the form and material can carry the entire story.

The middle ground fails because it's neither functional signal nor bold identity. And when you can't articulate which problem your color choice solves, you're just decorating. That's how design gets marginalized.

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