There are several books you can read to learn more about color consulting, including Color Me Beautiful Make Up Manual; Color Me Powerful: Unleash Your Influencing Power!; Color Me Confident: Expert Guidance to Help You Feel Confident and Look Great; Color Your Life: Look Great. Spend Less!, and Color Your Style: How to Wear Your True Colors. Because networking is so important in getting clients, another recommended book is Essential Business Networking: Tips, Tactics, and Tools You Can Use. Local libraries and online bookstores should have additional books on color, fabrics, and style.

Read blogs such as Mary Lou’s ColorInsights (https://www.colorinsight.biz/blog-mary-lous-colorinsights) and the Color Designers Internationals blog (https://colordesigners.org/blog) to learn more about the field of color analysis.

After youve read some of these books and blogs (and checked out resources offered by Color Me Beautiful, https://colormebeautiful.com), assess your coloring, including hair and eye color and skin tone, and try to incorporate the most flattering colors in your clothing and makeup. Try this exercise with a friend, too.

Talk to color analysts about their careers. In such an interview—which can be conducted in-person, on the phone, or through video-conferencing technology—you will get the opportunity to ask color analysts about their job duties, work environment, likes and dislikes about their careers, educational training, and other topics that will help you to learn more about the field. Ask your school counselor to help you set up information interviews. Additionally, Color Designers International offers a list of its members on its Web site, https://colordesigners.org/membership-roster. Perhaps one of its members would be willing to talk with you about their careers. You might also consider trying to job shadow a color analyst as he or she works with a client.

“Colors are forces, radiant energies that affect us positively or negatively, whether we are aware of it or not,” said Johannes Itten, a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, and teacher. Color analysts help people use color effectively in their clothing and accessories, makeup, and hair color. By identifying color schemes that present the individual in an appealing and confident manner, the person can improve the impression they make in both their professional and personal lives.

In a typical color consultation, the color analyst meets with the customer and conducts an analysis (which can last three to four hours) of their skin tone, current use of makeup, current hair color, and existing wardrobe. They work in a neutral gray space that has specialized lighting to reduce or eliminate factors (sunlight, etc.) that may affect color perception. The process involves comparing colors and eliminating those (or various shades of a specific color) until the most complementary colors are identified. Some color analysts base their assessments on a “seasonal” color analysis process (i.e., what looks best during the four seasons of the year), while others develop their own unique systems. Color analysts also give advice on to effectively use contrast, texture, and design in ones clothing. This assessment is fact-based and tied to the analysts expertise in color analysis, rather than the personal opinions of the customer.

Some analysts provide clients with a custom fabric shopping fan with their best colors and/or a personalized guide that summarizes their advice.

Color analysts work with individuals, groups, or both. Companies such as Color Me Beautiful train color analysts in color and its use in wardrobe and makeup. Those who wish to expand their services to the wider field of image consulting complete additional training so they can help clients work on their overall appearance and grooming, as well as improve their voices, body language, and etiquette.