PORTUGAL – Sonae Indústria’s brand Surforma and ColorADDhave established a partnership to allow colorblind people to make more informed decisions about decorative finishes and surfaces for their homes.

The Portuguese company is a pioneer in the wood sector when it comes to adopting a universal color code in its company for decor and construction industries.

Sonae Indústria and ColorADD established a long-term partnership for the use of a universal color code in all of Surforma’s finishes and surfaces, allowing colorblind people to take more informed decisions.

Surforma is Sonae Indústria’s specialized brand in the production of laminates and compacts for sectors such as interior design, furniture and architecture. Created by the Portuguese designer Miguel Neiva, ColorADD is a universal color code which can be used by 350 million colorblind people around the world.

The color code allows colorblind people to understand which colors certain furniture and clothing pieces, metro lines or even pencils have. It includes the primary colors (blue, magenta and yellow), to which were added black and white in order to create a basic geometric shape. The symbol combination makes it possible to represent every existing color.

This color identification system for colorblind people was created with the purpose of solving a problem that affects about 10% of the world’s male population and 0,5% of the world’s female population.

To Ana Teotónio Pereira, Surforma’s Marketing and Communication Manager, this partnership “aims to help colorblind people to accurately identify the material’s color, contributing to more information in the moment of choice. This is a major step in the path we want to trace of a constant reinforcement of our offer to our clients.”

According to Miguel Neiva, “the main goal was to always integrate the color code in situations in which the color has to be a determinant factor of identification and choice, as it is the case of Sonae Indústria’s materials”.