By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : August 31, 2025 2:32 pm
Developed in collaboration with VML Brasil and the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, the initiative reimagines 70 iconic Coral colors into Cromopoems
More than six million visually impaired people in Brazil now have a new way to experience and connect with color, thanks to AkzoNobel’s Coral brand and its pioneering Touching Colors project.
Developed in collaboration with VML Brasil and the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, the initiative reimagines 70 iconic Coral colors into Cromopoems – sensory interpretations of color expressed through braille, sound, emotions, and poetic storytelling. Neuroscience studies reveal that colors activate emotions, memories, and sensations even in the brains of blind people, forming the foundation of this breakthrough.
For example, Citrus Orange is translated as: “That urge to bite into a fresh fruit in the playground. Letting the juice run down your chin and spending the day with its scent on your hands. That color is Citrus Orange, a vibrant, warm shade of orange.”
The Cromopoems are presented in a tactile color fan, featuring braille initials, poetic descriptions, and audio versions, enabling visually impaired users to feel, hear, and emotionally connect with color like never before.
“We’re giving blind and visually impaired people access to experiences that were previously restricted within the visual universe,” said Alexandre Munck, Executive Superintendent of the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind. “By transforming color into sensation, poetry and sound, Coral is contributing to accessibility as an essential part of innovation.”
Daniel Geiger Campos, Global Director of Decorative Paints and member of AkzoNobel’s Executive Committee, added: “This project represents a crucial step toward inclusion. It ensures that more people can feel and choose colors in an innovative way, going beyond sight to explore new forms of sensory connection.”
Launched as part of Coral’s 70th anniversary in Brazil, the project has also been shortlisted in the Industry Craft category at this year’s Cannes Lions, reinforcing its creative and social impact.
With the Touching Colors project, AkzoNobel is broadening horizons for millions while setting a new benchmark for inclusive, sensory-driven design.