The world's most famous optical illusion turns 10 years old

The dress
(Image credit: Roman Originals/Future)

The year is 2015. The month is February. A simple story titled 'What colors are this dress?' is published by listicle pedlar Buzzfeed, and the world changes forever. And for the record, I still can't see 'the dress' as anything other than white and gold.

A simple candid photograph of a dress ended up revealing differences in the way people perceive colours, with many unable to see the dress in its original black and blue. Cue millions of debates, tweets and news stories. There's never been a viral fluff piece quite like it since, and with 'the dress' now officially ten years old, it's not only one of the best optical illusions ever, but a reminder of a simpler time online.

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Daniel John
Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.

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