Colour Research Society of Canada

What Colour Research Society of Canada does

The Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC; Société Canadienne de Recherche sur la Couleur) is a Canadian not-for-profit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area. It is positioned as "Canada's only colour focused, not-for-profit organization" and serves as the official Canadian member organization of the International Colour Association (AIC). Its purpose is to facilitate cross-disciplinary colour research, education, and networking across artists, designers, scholars, scientists, and industry practitioners.

CRSC delivers value through a portfolio of programs rather than a single product. The core offering is a tiered membership program: Turquoise (Student/Young Professional, $15/year or $25/two-year), Malachite (Individual, $35/year or $60/two-year), and Ultraviolet (Lifetime, $325 one-time). Members gain access to a password-protected Members' Area hosting the CRSC Membership Directory, AIC Study Groups, and complimentary CSA (Colour Society of Australia) lecture recordings. Layered on top are the Kaleidoscope Lectures (a monthly online lecture series archived on the CRSC YouTube channel), the Annual Student Awards competition for Canadian Colour Research ($500 CAD graduate / $300 CAD undergraduate prizes), the cross-Canada Mail-art Project (launched 2025), and periodic flagship events such as the AIC 2022 Sensing Colour Conference, which drew 250 participants from 35 countries.

The organization's technology stack is a Wix-hosted public website, a password-protected Members' Area dashboard, and curated social channels (YouTube, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram). Revenue is derived entirely from individual membership dues and event sponsorships (Haft2, Sherwin-Williams, OCAD University, the Art Gallery of Ontario, 13th Street Winery, VC2, Lighting Agora, CNC-CIE, Canadian Council for the Arts, and SSHRC grant funding). Operations are run by an all-volunteer Board of Administration renewed every two years; there is no paid staff disclosed and no revenue or financial figures are publicly reported beyond the annual reports archive.

Name

Colour Research Society of Canada

Legal name

Colour Research Society of Canada

Website

https://colourresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC) is a volunteer-run, Canadian not-for-profit founded in 2011 that serves as Canada's official member organization of the International Colour Association, offering tiered individual memberships, monthly Kaleidoscope lectures, an annual Student Awards program, and cross-disciplinary colour research events for artists, designers, scientists, and industry practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Annual and multi-year membership subscriptions: Tiered recurring individual and student/young-professional memberships (Turquoise 1-year $15 and 2-year $25 student/young-professional; Malachite 1-year $35 and 2-year $60 individual), providing access to the Members' Area, Kaleidoscope lectures, AIC Study Groups, and CSA lecture recordings.
2. Lifetime membership (Ultraviolet): One-time $325 lifetime membership payment providing indefinite access to all member benefits including the Members' Area and event programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC) operates a tiered individual membership program (Turquoise Student/Young Professional, Malachite Individual, and Ultraviolet Lifetime) that grants members access to a Members' Area, monthly Kaleidoscope lectures, AIC Study Groups, and CSA lecture recordings. Layered on the membership are a recurring annual Student Awards competition for Canadian colour research, a monthly online Kaleidoscope lecture series, and community programs such as the cross-Canada Mail Art Project.

Product overview

The Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC) is a not-for-profit organization — Canada's only colour-focused non-profit — that delivers its offerings through a portfolio of programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offering is the CRSC Membership Program (with Turquoise, Malachite, and Ultraviolet tiers) that grants access to the CRSC Members' Area, an online dashboard bundling member directories, AIC Study Groups, and CSA lecture recordings. Layered on top are complementary programs and content streams: the CRSC Student Awards program (recognition competition for Canadian colour research), the Kaleidoscope Lectures (complimentary monthly online lecture series hosted on the CRSC YouTube channel), the CRSC Mail Art Project (a cross-Canada colour exchange community initiative), and major events such as the AIC 2022 Sensing Colour Conference (online midterm meeting of the AIC hosted by CRSC). The CRSC also publishes CRSC Yearly Reports as part of its public archive. The CRSC is the Canadian member organization of the AIC (International Colour Association).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRSC Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 250 participants from 35 countries at AIC 2022 Sensing Colour hosted by CRSC
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• International Colour Association (AIC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC) is the official Canadian member organization of the AIC. CRSC members receive access to AIC Study Groups through the Members' Area, and the CRSC hosted the AIC 2022 Sensing Colour Midterm Meeting (June 13-16, 2022), passing the banner at the end of the conference to the AIC 2023 hosts (Colour Society of Thailand).
• Colour Society of Australia (CSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRSC members receive complimentary access to the Colour Society of Australia's lecture recordings through the CRSC Members' Area, enabling cross-Pacific colour knowledge exchange between Canadian and Australian colour communities.
• OCAD UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally planned venue for AIC 2022 Sensing Colour. The CRSC, OCAD University, and the Art Gallery of Ontario partnered to host two special presentations open to the general public (Anong Migwans Beam's "Gathering Colour" and Angélica Dass's Humanae). OCAD University co-hosted Megan Dyck's "The Shape of Color" workshop and provided generous funding support for AIC 2022.
• Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the CRSC and OCAD University to host the pre-conference lecture-presentation by Manitoulin Island painter and pigment producer Anong Migwans Beam ("Gathering Colour") as part of AIC 2022; a recording of Anong Beam's lecture is hosted on the AGO website.
• Haft2flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHaft2 developed the AIC 2022 Sensing Colour logo and website and provided full conference support before, during, and after the event (Cassandra Koenen, Sierra Haddleton, Jasmina Leburic). The CRSC also recognizes Paul Haft and Haft2 as a long-time supporter and sponsor listed in the website's "Thank you to our supporters" section.
• 13th Street Winery and GalleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as one of the AIC 2022 sponsors thanked by the CRSC in the AIC 2022 conference report.
• VC2minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as one of the AIC 2022 sponsors thanked by the CRSC in the AIC 2022 conference report.
• Lighting AgoraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as one of the AIC 2022 sponsors thanked by the CRSC in the AIC 2022 conference report.
• CNC-CIE (Canadian National Committee of the International Commission on Illumination)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of the AIC 2022 sponsors. Venkat Venkataramanan (CRSC President and previously President of CNC-CIE 2012-2019) liaises with CIE, IES, CSA, and ISO lighting subcommittees to advance cross-organization collaboration. CNC-CIE also presented two Student Awards for best student presentations related to the lighting industry at AIC 2022.
• Sherwin-WilliamscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSherwin-Williams is publicly thanked as a supporter on the CRSC website (Sherwin-Williams Canada welcome page). The CRSC is also featured in the Board Member Lora Di Fabio's industry involvement with the Color Marketing Group, with Sherwin-Williams being a leading industry participant.
• Color Marketing Group (CMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMG co-facilitators Samantha MacLean and Janice Fedak held the 2024 ChromaZone® Color Forecasting Workshop at the Toronto International Design Center (TIDC) Resource Centre as part of AIC 2022 programming. CRSC board members Lora Di Fabio (Board of Directors of CMG, CMG liaison for North America) and Thoma Doehring (CMG member since 2016, leads Color Speak events) bridge the CRSC and CMG communities.
• Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRSC President Robin Kingsburgh is a Board member of the Inter Society Colour Council and a member of the joint ISCC/AIC Colour Literacy Project. The CRSC's events portal lists and promotes ISCC events (e.g., "Defining Colour: The Work Behind the Words," "From Paint to Pixels," "Exploring Color Literacy in Chinese Children," "A Vibrant Violet Revelation: Van Gogh's Irises through the lens of Color Science").

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC): US-based non-profit that brings together colour science, art, and industry practitioners through events, publications, and joint projects with AIC; CRSC's President is an ISCC board member and the two societies cross-promote events and the Colour Literacy Project.
• Color Marketing Group (CMG): International non-profit association of colour designers, forecasters, and industry professionals that runs the ChromaZone Color Forecasting Workshop and North American colour forecasts; CRSC board members Lora Di Fabio and Thoma Doehring bridge the two organisations.
• Color Association of the United States: US membership organisation that forecasts and publishes seasonal colour palettes for design and industry; similar model of paid individual/corporate members consuming curated colour content and forecasting services.
• Colour Society of Australia (CSA): Australian sister society providing lectures, study groups, and member resources to colour researchers and designers; CRSC members receive complimentary access to CSA lecture recordings, evidencing a directly comparable cross-Pacific offering.
• Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC): UK-based chartered body for colour science and dyeing professionals offering membership, publications (e.g., Coloration Technology), and educational accreditation; comparable in mission as a discipline-spanning colour professional society with membership tiers and events.

Broad incumbents

• International Commission on Illumination (CIE): Global scientific authority on light, vision, and colour with national committees (e.g., CNC-CIE in Canada); CRSC's President is a former CNC-CIE President and CRSC co-hosts programming with CNC-CIE on lighting and colour.
• Illuminating Engineering Society (IES): North American standards and education body for lighting, which intersects with CRSC's lighting-industry student awards and CNC-CIE partnerships; comparable as a discipline-spanning technical society with membership and conferences.
• American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC): Established US-based professional association for textile chemistry, dyeing, and colour science with publications, conferences, and standards; overlaps with CRSC's colour-research mission on the materials and dyeing side.
• International Colour Association (AIC): The global umbrella body for national colour societies; CRSC is the Canadian member organisation of AIC, and the two share conference programming, study groups, and an overlapping cross-disciplinary audience of colour researchers and practitioners.

Others

• Royal Society of Arts (RSA): UK-based fellowship society combining arts, sciences, and design with events, awards, and member programmes; comparable as a multidisciplinary, member-supported non-profit that bundles lectures, recognition, and a global network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ColourResearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjvBa9gLBh4odGzWhh_asLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?viewas=100000686899395&id=100068275880788
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colourresearchsocietyofcanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/colourresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Colour Research Society of Canada