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Colorblind Canines and Cards: How Dog Vision is Inspiring Our Decks

As a science animator, there’s one request I get more than any other:

“Please don’t use red or green in the content.”

So, when I started designing the decks, there was only one way forward.

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Science organizations are pros at walking the empathy tightrope.

They know that understanding the science is often the golden ticket to earning support for their cause—whether it’s from a viewer seeking clarity on a new health diagnosis or a government agency deciding who deserves that next big funding boost. But let’s face it: science is already complex enough without adding extra hurdles. Confusing visuals or poorly communicated data can turn “aha!” moments into “huh?” moments faster than you can say “deuteranopia.”

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Colorblind

Deuteranopia, or red-green color blindness makes distinguishing those colors nearly impossible. It affects up to 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women. That makes it common enough that I’ve basically trained myself to avoid these colors in my work.

But here’s the kicker—while deuteranopia in humans is a genetic abnormality, for dogs, it’s just business as usual.

For decades, people believed dogs saw the world in black and white (like an old noir film, but without the trench coats). Scientists now know that’s a myth. Dogs can see some color, but their vision closely resembles red-green color blindness in humans.

Here's why:

At the back of the eye, humans have three types of receptors—red, green, and blue—allowing us to see the full spectrum of color. Dogs, however, are stuck with just two, giving them a dichromatic view of the world. They likely see yellows and blues as their "brights" but perceive reds and greens as a washed-out palette of browns.

Interestingly, this is why agility equipment and other dog sports gear often feature yellows and blues—it’s simply easier for dogs to see.

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Colorblind

So, What Does This Have to Do With the Fidome Decks?

Fidome consists of two decks - Coat Check and Form Factor. Coat Check features breeds with genetic mutations affecting the coat and Form Factor features conditions that lead to structural outcomes (think dwarfism or short muzzles). When designing the decks, I decided to lean into this fascinating bit of canine biology. Hearts and diamonds in Coat Check are rendered in gold, and in Form Factor, they’re a muted blue—no red in sight. Not only does this nod to the way dogs see the world, but it also adds a unique flair to the decks.

Even if your dog doesn't give a fluff about playing cards, we think your inner nerd will appreciate the attention to detail.

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