The book, which is based on a column St. Clair writes for British magazine Elle Decoration, is organized in a series of chapters by color, arranged from white to black.

[3] Each page is bordered by a stripe of the color it discusses for easy visual identification, even when the book is closed.

[6] Lily Le Brun of The Economist found the book's design visually appealing and helpful for referencing.

[3] Laura J. Snyder of The Wall Street Journal wrote that it brought the history of both science and art "into vivid relief.

[2] Ross Stewart of Chemistry World described the vignette structure as an "effective...conceit" allowing St. Clair to "dance effortlessly through an astonishing range of subjects.