A method of determining the color difference between two similar colors including the steps of determining the tristimulus values for a reference color with which another color is to be compared, providing a planar chromaticity diagram for the values other than brightness in which the values for the reference colors are at the origin and the abscissa and ordinates of the diagram, determining the hue of the reference color and plotting in said diagram an equi-hue line, determining the tristimulus values for the other color to be compared to the reference color and plotting the values other than brightness on the diagram, plotting an equi-saturation line on the diagram perpendicular to the equi-hue line and extending through the origin, plotting lines parallel to the equi-hue and equi-saturation lines through the position of the plotted values for the other color and extending across the equi-hue and equi-saturation lines, so that the difference in the tristimulus values for the other color from the reference color are shown by measurements along said parallel lines. In addition, a brightness line is provided having the brightness value of the reference color at the center of the line with values of greater brightness on one side of the center and values of less brightness on the other side of the center, and plotting the brightness of the other color on the line, whereby the difference in brightness for the other color from the reference color is shown by measurement along the line.