When used within textile printing, smart colours have expanded the design possibilities for textile patterns as relates to both motifs and, more importantly, uses. Smart colours suggest new functionalities and provide specific perceptions, reactions, and activities in terms of usage. At the same time, the need for peripheral information sources that are less intrusive than many of the everyday devices of the present has continuously been addressed to improve wellbeing, e.g. by making life more manageable and meaningful through the use of technology in everyday life. We aim to increase knowledge of the design qualities of smart colours, which is of use in relation to creating non- or less intrusive ways of displaying peripheral information. This paper focuses on the character of colour transition and discusses different colour-changing possibilities with regard to surface patterns; that is, from the perspectives of different levels of change and complexity and in relation to levels of intrusiveness and information comprehensibility.