Faber Birren grew up in Chicago and attended the Art Institute of Chicago from the age of 12 until he was 20. He then studied at the University of Chicago. By the age of 30 he had become a color consultant and relocated to New York. His books on color include Creative Color, History of Color in Painting, Principles of Color, Color Perception in Art and Light, Color and Environment. He has worked as a color consultant for several US companies and the US government. He wrote a column on color for PM magazine running several issues.