Color Trend
Forecast
Color experts discuss current
and future trends.
BY TIM WRIGHT
EDITOR
Color is emotion and can speak to the human soul in
thousands of different ways. It is an integral element of
art, design and aesthetics in general. Explaining color
is like trying to explain the mystery of that which holds the
moon in place. Perhaps French painter Joseph Fernand Henri
Léger defined it best as “a basic human need...like fire and
water, a raw material, indispensable to life.”
Color touches upon fundamental social science principles
of communication, cultural symbolism and societal relations,
according to Aimee Desrosiers, color forecaster and director
of marketing at California Paints. “Color involves physics and
chemistry, or the science of light, which involves the manner in
which an object is colored, the medium or process used to color
an object or the structure of naturally occurring color,” she
explained. “Colors illicit human behavioral responses and can
be studied from a psychological perspective.”
Consumers vary widely, however color is typically the most
important factor in making a decision whether to purchase a
product or not. “Color is used as an indicator of quality, an indicator of freshness, a distinguishable sign of whether a product
is contemporary or passe,” Desrosiers continued. “Color can
endear a consumer to a product or send a subliminal message
that the product is inferior. Color is considered an outward sign
of a consumers taste, mood and ultimately personality.”
When it comes to designing interior living spaces color is
arguably the most important aspect of an interior design
scheme. “Color plays a huge part in overall design,” said Kim
Danzinger, senior color consultant at ICI Paints. “It helps coordinate all of the design elements together to create one mood
that is trying to be captured in a particular space.”
DETERMINING COLOR TRENDS
Every year color experts at paint manufacturing companies
wrap their brains around color and develop color trend forecasts for consumers and industry. There are many variables
that affect the direction of design and color.
“Trends develop over the course of time,” said Debbie
Zimmer, Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute paint and
color expert. “Demographics, changing consumer desires, social
and economic changes and technology all converge, or come
together, to influence color themes.”
“Color forecasting is predictive in nature, using a vast
amount of information for analysis,” said Desrosiers. “Not all
color trends will apply to all products or all industries. In addition to focusing on external forces, a crucial step in color forecasting involves determining whether a color direction is applicable to a specific product.”
Color trends are typically determined by the color trend
organizations and by consumers, according to Danzinger. “The
color trend groups consisting of many different product designers already know what has been past, what is present, and
what is yet to come,” she said. “The designer is always taking a
temperature of what the consumer is using and incorporating
into their lives.
“The consumer and designer influence the lifespan of a color
depending on the frequency of use. Some colors resonate more
with designers and or consumers than others,” Danzimer continued. “Sometimes when a trend color comes into its popularity, it becomes a color that is widely used in many different
products for several more seasons. Later you will see this color
being used more frequently after it’s ‘trend life.’ The color starts
to feel like a common color, or one that is used everywhere.”
New Zealand-based paint manufacturer Resene looks to
overseas markets and gathers together a range of trends forecasts to determine commonalities between them, according to
Karen Warman, marketing manager, Resene Paint. “The clothing industry is also a key indicator, though it must be carefully interpreted as many clothing trends will not translate to
interiors because they are too gender specific,” she said.
Going into further detail Warman said, “Color trends are
formed through an amalgamation of available pigment technology pushing the boundaries of what is available and expert
design opinion, with consumer demand acting as a key way to
refine the color options into a useable marketable palette.”
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INFLUENCE TODAY’S TRENDS
Today’s forecasts are not just about the most important
hot colors, but are divided into lifestyle influences and
the color palettes that best reflect those influences,
according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the
Pantone Color Institute. “This aids consumers in their
search for a palette that fits their own personal comfort
