Colour technologist

As a colour technologist, you'll be involved with the science and technology of colour application and its subsequent performance

Work can be found in various sectors of the manufacturing industry, where dyes and pigments are produced for a range of products. You may take on an analytical role, making sure reproduction is accurate, application is even and the colour has durability. In the retail sector, it's likely you'll liaise with suppliers and end-users.

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
• dye lasers, liquid crystal displays, fraud prevention techniques and ink-jet printers.

Responsibilities

As a colour technologist, you'll need to:

• identify colours for clients
• develop processes for accurate bulk reproduction
• develop new dyes and pigments to provide specified colours
• formulate dyes and pigments with stability in new substrates or across a range of technologies
• test new products to establish claims for marketing and promotion to clients
• monitor colour reliability during the production of dyes and pigments and the application to products
• anticipate the colourfastness and stability of dyes and pigments under simulated conditions over typical lifespans
• refine processes to produce dyes and pigments to save costs and minimise environmental impact
• liaise with factory production managers and provide technical support to dyers and other colouring agent users
• sell dyes, pigments and coloured products and act as a link between producers, suppliers and end users
• keep up to date with trends and innovations in the industry
• work to specified industry and quality control standards
• use specialist computer systems, such as CAD
• manage the work of technical assistants.

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 between £27,000 and £35,000 with more experience, and at supervisory level.

Salaries are moderately competitive for the chemical industry. What you earn depends on the employer, industry and relevance of your work experience.

Larger chemical companies tend to pay higher salaries than smaller, specialist employers, but the latter may offer earlier responsibility and opportunities to remain in your preferred technical area. Salaries in the retail and academic sector are slightly higher than in technical roles.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Your working hours will typically be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, this may vary within the sector, and deadlines or special projects will require longer hours - sometimes at short notice. Shifts, including weekend work, are common in manufacturing to 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 off work. Once you have significant experience you could consider freelance work as a consultant.

What to expect

• Manufacturing can be noisy and the large-scale production of colour products is often messy. The technical side of the work depends on specialist equipment.
• A lot of the work takes place in a chemical laboratory, where you would need to wear protective clothing.
• 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.
• The role doesn't typically require much travel. Other than the possibility of shift work, overnight absence from home isn't common.
• Some of the large dye and pigment manufacturers are international and may offer overseas placements or opportunities to work in teams based abroad.

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.

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 will sponsor you for this.

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. A PhD is often required for research positions.

Skills

You will need to show:

• technical skills to use computerised systems
• the ability to plan, organise and work in a team, particularly if supervising technicians
• flexibility to adapt to the needs of customers or business objectives
• excellent attention to detail when testing and developing dyes and pigments
• good interpersonal skills for communicating with clients
• an inquisitive mind to investigate new colours and techniques
• strong commercial awareness and an understanding of the industry and new developments within it
• 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. 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. 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.

Competition is moderate for those with a good relevant degree and some work experience, as there are comparatively few specialised graduates.

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 in a number 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.
• Textile industry - where specialist companies are contracted by large-scale manufacturers to take on aspects of development or production.
• Clothing and furnishings retail - advising design teams on colour performance and new colour developments, and liaising with manufacturers about client needs.
• Academic sector - working in specialist departments, researching new colour products and processes to apply colour to complex systems. There are only a small number of positions available in this sector to suitably qualified researchers.
• Specialist consultancies - liaising closely with a range of clients to carry out work based on their specific requirements.

Although computerisation is replacing some colour technologist roles, technical expertise is still needed.

Look for job vacancies at:

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

Professional development

Technical training is mainly on the job, supported by either internal or external short courses provided by professional bodies or equipment suppliers. 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 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. Find out more about qualifications and training at Society of Dyers and Colourists - Education.

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.

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 superviser. You can usually reach departmental management positions after 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 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.

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.

Most employers support the assessment process towards chartered colourist (CCol) status with 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.