This Christmas, two friends have joined hands to create greeting cards for the colour blind. The idea was born when Siddha Kannur, an art designer in the city, met Tanvi Tandon from Delhi to create a cover page for a book.
Mr. Kannur says, “Tanvi and I bonded well and shared a great chemistry. We soon decided to work on a project every year.” Ms. Tandon says she conceptualised the idea. “I spoke to Siddha about the idea and he was very excited about it.” Ms. Tandon says the objective was not just to create cards for the colour blind, but bring out emotions through sight.
Before embarking on the project, the duo sought the help of Dr. Jay Neitz, a professor of ophthalmology and colour vision researcher at the University of Washington. Ms. Tandon says Dr. Neitz helped them understand the value of colours and how to help the colour-blind view things. She says, “He gave us a palette of colours that could be easily distinguished.”
Mr. Kannur says that Dr. Neitz taught them the percentage of colours one should blend to create colours that the colour blind can distinguish. The duo soon decided on the right colours and designs, and tested it on one of their friends who suffers from colour blindness. Mr. Kannur says, “He would tell us if he could see the colours in the images. His feedback helped us to improve our work.”
Ms. Tandon believes that everyone needs to enjoy Christmas regardless of the challenges they face. The greeting cards are available as e-cards on rebrandingchristmas.com and can be printed and downloaded, and shared on social media platforms.
