Every exterior colour fades. What varies is how fast, and how gracefully. A shade that goes gently paler over eight years is a very different proposition from one that goes patchy and orange in three, and the difference is largely decided at the point you choose it.
Depth of colour is the main variable
A deep shade holds far more pigment than a pale one, and it also absorbs far more energy — a dark wall in Accra sun runs considerably hotter than a pale one beside it. Heat and ultraviolet together are what break pigment down.
This is why the traditional palette for hot climates is pale. It is not only about keeping the building cool; pale colours simply hold their appearance longer.
Some hues are tougher than others
Inorganic pigments — the iron oxides behind ochres, terracottas, browns and most earth tones — are extremely stable in sunlight. That is why old buildings in ochre still look like themselves.
Bright organic reds, magentas and vivid purples are the least stable, and are the shades most likely to disappoint on a west-facing wall. Blues and greens sit in between.
The elevation matters as much as the colour
The wall that takes the afternoon sun will age years ahead of the shaded one. On a strong colour that difference becomes visible, and the building looks two-tone.
If you want a deep shade outside, consider using it on a porch, a feature panel or the joinery, and keeping the broad sunlit elevations pale.
Test it where it is going
Paint an A2-sized patch on the actual elevation and look at it at three times of day. A colour chosen indoors under a bulb, or from a screen, is being judged under a light it will never live in.
Every shade on the Zigma card has a lighting preview on its page, which will get you close — but a patch on the real wall is what settles it.
Shades mentioned here
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