Colour technologist

As a colour technologist, you'll find opportunities to work across the manufacturing industry, supporting the development and use of dyes and pigments in a range of products.

Your role may be practical, technical or analytical, making sure colour reproduction is accurate, application is even and the finished product meets quality and durability standards. In the retail sector, it's likely you'll liaise with suppliers and customers or end users to resolve colour–related issues.

Job titles can vary so look out for vacancies for dyeing technologists, colour scientists, or technical colourists too.

Types of colour technology applications

Depending on the employer you work for, you'll most likely specialise in working with one of the following:

• textiles
• paper
• cosmetics
• foodstuffs
• medical products
• toiletries
• furnishings
• advanced technologies such as dye lasers, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), fraud prevention techniques and inkjet printers..

Responsibilities

As a colour technologist, you'll need to:

• identify colours for clients and translate design briefs into technical colour specifications
• develop processes for accurate and consistent bulk reproduction
• develop new dyes and pigments to meet specific colour, performance or sustainability requirements
• formulate dyes and pigments with long–term stability when used on new materials or across different technologies
• test new products to support performance claims used in marketing and promotion
• monitor colour reliability during the production of dyes and pigments and their application to finished products
• anticipate the colourfastness and stability of dyes and pigments under simulated environmental and usage conditions over a product’s typical lifespan
• refine processes to produce dyes and pigments to reduce costs and minimise environmental impact
• liaise with factory production managers and provide practical technical support to dyers and other colouring agent users
• support the technical sale of dyes, pigments and coloured products and act as a link between producers, suppliers and end users
• keep up to date with industry trends, innovations and new technologies
• work to specified industry regulations and quality control standards
• use specialist computer systems, such as computer–aided design (CAD) software
• manage the work of technical assistants or junior staff.

Salary

• Technician salaries are generally in the range of £17,000 to £20,000.
• Once you've acquired some experience, you can usually earn between £20,000 and £26,000.
• This can rise to £27,000 to £35,000 with more experience, and at supervisory level, and up to £42,000 in London.

Salaries are broadly competitive within the chemical and manufacturing industries. What you earn depends on factors such as your employer, the sector you work in and the relevance of your skills and work experience.

Larger chemical companies often offer higher starting salaries than smaller, specialist employers, but the latter may provide earlier responsibility and opportunities to develop specialist technical expertise.

Pay levels can also vary between sectors, such as manufacturing, retail and academia, depending on the nature of the role and level of responsibility.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Your working hours will usually be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, this may vary depending on the sector you work in, and deadlines or special projects may require additional hours, sometimes at short notice.

In manufacturing environments, shift work is common and may include evenings or weekend work to support and monitor production.

Part-time work is possible, as are career breaks, but you'd need to keep your technical knowledge and skills up to date while away from the role. Once you have built up significant experience, you could consider freelance or consultancy work, offering specialist colour expertise.

What to expect

• You may be working in busy industrial environments where processes can be noisy and messy. The technical side of the work depends on specialist equipment.
• A lot of the work takes place in a chemical laboratory, where you'll need to follow strict health and safety procedures and wear protective equipment such as lab coats, gloves and goggles.
• Job availability is generally restricted geographically by the location of the relevant industries: manufacturing is mostly in the North West, Yorkshire and Scotland, while retail is in London, the North East and the Midlands and printing inks are in London. particularly in areas with strong industrial and chemical sectors.
• Larger international employers may offer overseas placements or the opportunity to collaborate with teams in other countries.

Qualifications

Relevant degree and HND subjects include physical, mathematical and applied science and engineering. However, if you're planning to work in the textile sector it's also possible to enter via a design-orientated route. Creative subjects linked to textiles and surface design may also provide a useful pathway into the industry.

The following subjects in particular may be useful:

• analytical chemistry
• applied chemistry
• applied physics
• biomedical sciences (for medical applications)
• chemical engineering
• chemistry
• colour science
• materials science
• production/manufacturing engineering
• textile technology/colouration.

You can enter the career without a degree or HND but would most likely need to start as a technical assistant, before progressing onto more advanced work, after gaining appropriate experience and further vocational qualifications. Some employers may support you to gain these qualifications while working.

A pre-entry postgraduate qualification isn't essential. However, a Masters in a relevant area can be helpful if your first degree is in an unrelated subject. Specialist Masters degrees are available in subjects such as polymers, colorants and fine chemicals. Postgraduate courses may also cover areas such as sustainable materials or advanced manufacturing. A PhD is often required for research positions.

Skills

You'll need to show:

• technical skills to use computerised systems and laboratory equipment
• the ability to plan, organise and work in a team, particularly if supervising technicians or working as part of a production or research team
• flexibility to adapt to the needs of customers or business objectives and changing project requirements
• excellent attention to detail when testing and developing dyes and pigments to ensure colour accuracy and consistency
• good interpersonal skills for communicating with clients and colleagues from different technical or non-technical backgrounds
• an inquisitive mind to investigate new colours and techniques and to solve problems during product development
• strong commercial awareness and an understanding of the industry and new developments within it such as sustainability or new materials
• good colour vision and knowledge of colour theory, for shade and colour matching.

Work experience

It's a good idea to try to secure work experience in the colour or textile industry. This can help you understand how dyes, pigments and colour technology are used in real workplaces. You could try to find an advertised internship with a lab or manufacturer, or approach organisations directly to ask if they can offer you any suitable opportunities. Smaller companies may also offer informal placements or short-term experience, even if they don't advertise vacancies. The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) has a members directory, which may help you to identify organisations to contact initially.

To keep up to date with industry news and increase your network within the sector, you may consider getting student membership with a relevant professional body, such as the SDC or the Oil and Colour Chemist's Association (OCCA). By joining a professional body, you will gain access to newsletters, online member’s forums and discounts on publications and events. Membership can also help you make connections with employers and hear about opportunities early.

Competition is moderate for those with a good relevant degree and some work experience, as there are comparatively few specialised graduates. Having practical lab skills and industry experience can help you stand out.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Colour is used in virtually all products, so the range of employers is broad, and you can find work across a range of sectors:

• Chemical industry - conducting research into potential innovations in dyestuffs and pigments to develop new materials.
• Manufacturing - working in areas including fibres, textiles, medical products, fashion accessories, paper, leather, paints, inks, cosmetics, foodstuffs, plastics and toiletries to test, develop and control colour quality during production.
• Textile industry - where specialist companies are contracted by large-scale manufacturers to take on aspects of development or production such as colour matching, testing and finishing processes.
• Clothing and furnishings retail - advising design teams on colour performance and new colour developments, and liaising with manufacturers about client needs to ensure colours meet design and quality standards.
• Academic sector - working in specialist departments, researching new colour products and processes to apply colour to complex systems. Opportunities are limited and usually require postgraduate qualifications, particularly for research roles.
• Specialist consultancies - liaising closely with a range of clients to carry out work based on their specific requirements such as colour measurement, quality control or process improvement.

Although computerisation is replacing some colour technologist roles, technical expertise is still needed. Digital tools are increasingly used, but employers continue to value strong scientific knowledge and practical colour skills.

Look for job vacancies at:

• British Manufacturing Jobs
• Chemistry World Jobs
• Drapers Jobs
• Jobs.ac.uk

Professional development

Technical training is mainly on the job, supported by either internal or external short courses provided by professional bodies or equipment suppliers. Most colour technologists develop their skills through practical experience in laboratories or production settings. Larger companies may start you on a formal training scheme, which consists of short placements to develop your technical and commercial knowledge.

The SDC offers a range of highly regarded professional coloration qualifications at various levels including:

• Textile Coloration Certificate
• Licentiateship (LSDC)
• Associateship (ASDC)
• Fellowship (FSDC).

The SDC can award the status of Chartered Colourist (CCol), which is the highest grade and indicates outstanding practical experience and expertise. At this level, you're required to undertake at least 30 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) each year. CPD activities can include:

• attending conferences and meetings
• writing reports
• carrying out mentoring
• completing training courses.

The SDC has a CPD scheme and offers various training courses which are run by experts. These opportunities can help you build specialist knowledge and stay up to date with new techniques in colour technology. Find out more about qualifications and training at the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC).

You'll need to keep up to date with research techniques and new technical developments throughout your career, so many employers support activities that promote this. This may include professional training, attending industry events or learning about new digital colour measurement systems and sustainable processes.

Career prospects

After working in hands-on functions to build your technical knowledge, you'll typically take on additional responsibility and will manage the work of other technologists, eventually becoming a senior technologist or supervisor. You can usually reach departmental management positions after significant experience, often around 10 to 15 years.

Alternatively, if you want the option of focusing on a specific area of interest, you could become a consultant or form your own specialist company. You could potentially earn a higher salary doing this, but you'll need significant technical and management experience.

You may also move into production, quality control, marketing, technical sales, or research and development, although the latter may require an additional research degree such as a Masters or PhD.

If you work for an international company, your career development may depend on you being prepared to take on overseas projects or secondments. If you're in a small company, you may need to move employers to progress or take on a broader range of responsibilities to gain experience.

Most employers support the assessment process towards chartered colourist (CCol) status with the SDC. This is useful, though not essential, for more senior posts. Senior members who have substantial relevant experience and who have achieved a high standing in the industry can be awarded fellowship by the SDC.