How would you like to enhance the salability of your products or increase the impact of your company's message? You may be surprised to discover just how important colour selection can be.
Colour trends always have sociological, environmental, economic and political influences says the Colour Marketing Group (CMG), an international organization of colour designers whose members forecast Colour Directions for all industries, manufactured products and services. Some of CMG's 2003 colour predictions for the commercial and consumer markets are already appearing in stores.
In the commercial markets watch for a fusion of fashion and technology as fashion's warm, comfortable colours combine with technology's bright, high energy hues.
In the consumer market you can expect blues to dominate, along with a mix of strong yet sophisticated colours that include berry brights and a backdrop of textured neutrals. Interwoven into each colour mix you'll find texture and special finishes that will strengthen the tactile quality of design.
Here's a look at the colours that will have an impact in 2003.
If you want to understand how colour will emerge in 2003 think “fashion fusion” says CMG. Adding a human connection to the work environment, look for the warm colours of luxurious fashion fabrics to combine with bright, technology colours that have renewed metallic and special finished. The result: a well balanced environment, if appropriately applied.
Today's finishes and colours will be so closely integrated that it will be impossible to think of the two separately. To the consumer, this complexity adds the quality appearance desired in the marketplace, explains CMG.
“Color is no longer uni-dimensional. New technologies in color design, materials and manufacturing have opened an exciting world of color expression for creators and users of color in all industries. Pearlescence, metallics, iridescence, texture, layering and even colors that change with lighting conditions have given designers the ability to create fresh approaches to their products and materials," said Color Marketing Group President, Jay de Sibour
| Silk Road: | Reminiscent of spun gold, this hue adds luminosity and warmth to an environment and complements all colors in the Palette. |
| Squash: | Representing the natural evolution of orange, this warm and comfortable, non-gender-specific color bridges the age gap from youth to maturity. |
| Red Lacquer: | This life force color is a multi-cultural, dramatic red that clearly defines the direction of red. It is slightly browned, polished, layered, and hand-rubbed. |
| Wisper: | Atmospheric and ethereal, this pale purple is a fashion-inspired, color-infused neutral. |
| Basalt: | This liquid, flexible neutral gray is a tectonic color - earth's basic building block. |
| Chill: | A cool, icy splash of pale blue-green represents the inner child of an adult Palette. Its cool presence is much needed to balance the other warm spicy colors. |
| Lily Pad: | A "Ribbiting" color that leaps from outside to indoors; this green goes inside out. |
| Tapenade: | As an eco-tone bridging forests and wetlands, it is rich in nutrients. This tasty olive from fashion acts as a backdrop for the brights. |
| Deep Purple: | Inherently regal, this purple provides a perfect musical balance between rich reds and majestic blues. |
In the consumer market this year's trends take their inspiration from the prosperous 1920's through to the glamour era of the 1930's and 1940's. Expect beautiful blues, berry brights, and a “protest” palette packed with really bright colours and sophisticated neutrals.
New blues
“I think blue is really going to dominate the 2003 consumer colour palette,” says Paul Haft, CMG member and partner with Belladonna Communications in Toronto, ON. “It is really a continuation of the earth bound colours as we explore further, our fascination with water.”
These new shades are brighter and more dynamic then what you may be used to, explains Haft. Ranging in tone from metallic to aqua the trend is toward a fresh and clean look.
Pinks, reds, and berry brights
“One of the big areas that was discussed and I'm even seeing it in the stores now is an interest in pink. You're going to be seeing a lot more in that red family. As you start to get into the reds there's lots of different kinds such as orange reds and blue reds.”
Haft stresses that these shades, while seemingly feminine have a different spin on them then the traditional pastels.
Some of Haft's picks are pinkle, which is closer in colour to raspberries then Barbies, and cheeky, which is a blend of peach and pink that leans more towards the orange.
Protest palette
Another section of CMG's 2003 colour palette features what Haft calls the protest palette. These trends are expected to have a big impact on the technology sector in particular.
“There's this really bright palette, which I call optimistic bright. Then there's this whole really neutral palette.”
What is new with these colours is that they are being treated with different textures to bring them to life. One example that Haft gives is a shade of grey called Newtral that has a sheen making it look like wet cement rather than the usual flat tone.
Goodbye green
Greens, like a lot of the neutral tones, have been dominating the market place in the past few years. However, Haft points out that for the first time in five years greens won't have such a strong presence.
“There's a couple of really nice greens, which are almost like a green grass tone as opposed to those sophisticated greens. We still have a lot of yellow-based colours in the palette, but we don't have the big variety with tons of green. I think that people are moving from green to blue green and that gets into a new colour category.”
Trends and your business
Before you throw money and resources behind a major colour design, remember that consumers make the final decision. Following this year's trend can be costly if it means that you'll face a redesign or remodeling in the near future.
“The consumer really has the ultimate power in voting when they make that purchase, they can either accept or reject these colours. If the colour is not something they're fond of or they don't want to live with then it doesn't matter how hard you market it there's not going to be an appreciation for that specific colour.”
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For more information on colour directions visit:
http://www.colormarketing.org/
Michelle Collins is a CanadaOne™ staff writer.
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