Organisms have evolved passively in nature with well-defined macroscopic effects and corresponding nanostructures under the microscope. Stunning structural colors are the visible result of the combined effects of refraction, diffraction, interference and reflection caused by sub-micron periodic structures. These physical processes (with minimal dissipative losses) produce structural colors that are bright and non-fading, as well as brightly iridescent and metallic, and have attracted a great deal of research in materials science, physics, chemistry and biology to understand and biomimetically prepare structural colors. Herein, we review the latest technological approaches and industrial applications used to artificially mimic structural colors in nature, highlighting the specific structures with different optical effects produced by low-cost self-assembled colloids and how the assembly of colloidal particles as structural units can then be modified to obtain photonic colors with set functions. Finally, the challenges and promising prospects for the application of structural colors in the industry are outlined. Structural color is the visible result of the combined effects of refraction, diffraction, interference and reflection caused by submicron periodic structure, which is deeply studied by materials science, physics, chemistry and biology. According to the functional design, they can be widely used in anti-counterfeiting, sensing, smart fiber, meta-surfaces, flexible electronics and pigments. [Display omitted] • Vividly structural colors are the visible result of the combined effects of sub-micron periodic structures. • An overview of the latest technological approaches and industrial applications for simulating structural colors. • How the assembly of colloidal particles as structural units can be modified to obtain photonic colors with set functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]