There has never been a time when colour did not fascinate humanity, inspiring an unceasing manufacturing of a kaleidoscopic variety of dyes and pigments that brought about great revolutions in art, cosmetics, fashion, and our lifestyle as a whole. Over the centuries these tints evolved from raw earths to molecular masterpieces devised by expert chemists whose properties are now being exploited far beyond traditional applications. Mimicking Nature, a timely challenge, regards the preparation of innovative and highly efficient multi-coloured architectures structured at the molecular and nanoscopic scale with specific light-absorbing and light-emitting properties. This tutorial review provides an overview on the chemical strategies developed to engineer and customise these ingenious coloured nanostructures tackling the current performance of organic matter in cutting edge technological sectors, such as solar energy conversion.