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Color is morphing, blending
and overlapping in consumer markets for 2002, according to Color Marketing
Group (CMG), the international, not-for-profit association of more than
1,700 color and design professionals who identify and forecast color trends
for all products and industries. “The trend is away from any one
pure color standing alone,” says CMG President, Jay de Sibour, CMG.
“Colors are becoming more complex and sophisticated and are incorporating
a variety of special effects including pearlescence and metallics along
with the dimension of transparency and translucency,” adds Sibour,
a marketing consultant in Kenvil, NJ.
Color is on the move in
all categories and products.
Some 700 CMG members gather twice a year to share ideas and ultimately
concur on what direction color will take one to three years out. At a
conference in Orlando, FL. in April 2001, the group’s workshops focused
on color tracking and identifying color movement from previous palettes.
The result is CMG’s 2002 Consumer Colors Current Palette—a look
at new and established colors that will be found in consumer products
over the next year.
ON THE MOVE
“One of the most difficult parts of our color workshops is always
limiting the number of colors in the palette,” says Consumer Colors
Current Committee Co-Chairman Ricki Gardner, CMG, Artistree/Michaels,
Coppell, TX. “The need for more colors was a consensus across all
industries. A few of our colors are moving very quickly—some within
a year—from our ‘Directions’ or forecast palette onto the
‘Colors Current’ or established Palette.”
Color is on the move in all categories and products. CMG says many of
the colors in 2002 will go redder, the exception being the blue family.
Blue is trending toward green, with a strong movement to bring the blues
and greens closer together (i.e., greener blues and bluer greens). Many
blues and greens are chameleon colors that fit into either family and
can be used in combination with each other or with yellows and browns.
Red is moving bluer with reds trending towards red/pink and red/orange
combinations. Purples and brown are still the biggest story with bi-polar
purples moving both bluer and redder.
Yellows are used most often as an accent or background color; generally
soft in value. Browns are drinkable (e.g., coffee), and copper is a big
story morphing brown into orange and giving way to a brown/orange/yellow
evolution. Oranges are becoming more sophisticated, a little more red
and tropical, mostly on accents but coming on strong.
Neutrals require special effects; they are still very strong in all industries,
but seem to be fading. Metal or metal-looking finishes are prevalent,
inspired by the earth’s minerals or metals, while neutrals are moving
into color families (see Design Perspectives, page 26). Gray has no cast—it’s
a perfect neutral—and silver is only a treatment.
MAJOR INFLUENCES AND TRENDS
Color is on fast-forward and all over the board, according to CMG. “More
industries, more technology and more products will mean more color in
2002,” commented fellow committee co-chairman, Dee Andrews, CMG,
Norcom, Inc., Norcross, GA. “As more lower-end manufacturers and
marketers introduce colors that have moved rapidly from high-end to established
palettes, the colors are being accepted by mass markets faster than ever
before.”
• Special effects are the next interpretation of color being used
to attract consumers and make products more visually interesting.
• Metallics, namely copper, are the newest trend in metal. Automotive
is on the cutting edge with big metallic chips in paint for more muted/matte
looks.
• Nature is still a strong influence from the exotic (tropical, flora
and animal prints) to military and camouflage styles brought about by
remote location reality shows and extreme sports.
• Color blending or morphing is creating lots of blending and crossover
into another color families (e.g., green/blue, brown/orange).
• Texture—considered to be a special effect—is a necessity.
Wood finishes and faux woods are another hot topic for 2002: wood itself,
real wood and faux finishes, colors, grains and wood trends in general.
• Global and regional cultural influences as well as population growth
remain strong direction indicators including Asian, Hispanic (Latin),
Korean, Thai, Indian and Japanese—all blending with Western taste.
• Economic influences don’t appear to have a major effect so
far. As the Consumer Colors Current forecast looks 12 to 18 months into
the future, it may be too early to tell if a downtrend in the economy
will make any major impact on the color palette, especially since technology
has made color pigments and special effects affordable to even lower end
markets.
Color Marketing Group (CMG), founded in 1962 and based in Alexandria,
VA, is an international, not-for-profit association of 1,700 color designers,
professionals who enhance the function, salability and/or quality of a
product through their knowledge and appropriate application of color.
CMG members forecast Color Directions one to three years in advance for
all industries, manufactured products and services.
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CMG’s 2002
Consumer colors current
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Rosa Roja Multicultural, romantic; important in fabrics and
leather, from Japanese lacquer red.
Langostino Bridging of orange, pink and red that supports the
continuing influence of red; truly an international crossover hue;
a copper, orangey, metallic hue deemed a very usable orange for all
markets.
Snappy Orange Color with a bite; vibrant, retro-techno color.
Calls attention to itself in contrast to other ethnic, spicy oranges.
Bright, clear, clean and fresh, an accent that can stand alone. May
signal the return of more retro colors because new technology keeps
them from fading by retaining their original luster.
Lemoncello Originally a hybridization of nature and technology
this sophisticated yellow with a calming green influence is another
crossover color that can morph into either the yellow or green family.
Eureka A yellow targeted at a youthful audience, but can also
be used as an accent to attract older consumers. It’s a warm
yellow drawing its influence from Morocco and Vietnam; used primarily
to play off brown and blue, it is calming and natural and goes well
with other colors.
Soleil Spring-like, upbeat and clean yellow moving toward a
more neutral stance. It is best used in combination with many other
colors such as spring greens.
Ginko Botanical green reminiscent of dry grasslands, it bridges
the excitement of fresh spring greens and the relaxing greens of forest
mosses; a perfect complement to flowers because it is like the yellow-greens
found in nature.
Capri Blue Soothing, aquatic cross-gender blue-green influenced
slightly by yellow; in its lightest value it becomes cool and icy.
Oxygen Blue sky as seen through a glass block, this breath
of fresh air is an aquatic blue-green influenced by silver that will
appear in many new product introductions.
Blue Bayou A shift away from a classic navy, it becomes an
updated, techno version featuring a metallic, watery sheen. This status
blue is more expensive in appearance and is always softened by using
a special effect treatment such as pearlescence in reflecting the
influence and texture of silk.
Moon Shadow Atmospheric blue-gray, it first appeared as a gray
among other neutrals; a good example of neutrals moving into a color
family. It is being classified as a leading member of the blue family.
Mysteria A blue-based smoky, soft gray or a purple moving grayer,
bluer and softer. This bi-polar color moves in two directions at once;
works well within all industries and goes well with greens and golds.
Dusk Fathomless purple with a deep richness that changes right
before your eyes. It is a muted metallic that gives it a high-end
appearance.
Violette Sassy, active violet that appears as a lesser value
in a supporting role; can take center state as a higher value. A neutral-inspired
purple that will work well combined with both browns and greens.
Hot Chocolate Warm, yummy, calm, comforting; brings earth tones
indoors. A dark rich, red-cast brown. A retro ’70s color inspired
by the coffee and chocolate craze. More intimate than black, it addresses
the need for a sense of heritage, desire for antique appearances.
Orsando Sand-inspired brown, so warm and inviting it makes
you want to wiggle your toes in it. Useable in most industries as
a further illustration of the many personalities of brown.
Storm Merging of mineral blues and greens. At its darkest value
it can serve as an industrial and mechanical alternative to black.
Charcool A menswear-influenced neutral; a green-cast gray playing
the role of a dual color that also serves as a new-age charcoal. It’s
not quite gray and not quite black. |
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