FORECASTING COLOR OF THE YEAR: everybody’s doing it!
Color producers apply significant resources to researching and positioning color trend forecasting predictions. Campaigns for color (or color palettes) of the year are highly anticipated. Pantone recognized the power of promoting color forecasting early on with many others jumping into the game. Color of the year (COTY) campaigns demonstrate design leadership, helping customers visualize the color(s) applied to products or settings and set the tone for why their brands should remain in the forefront of consumer minds.
Color preferences are not exactly subjective. Say what?! Color forecasting does not happen in a vacuum! It’s actually a pretty involved process that includes researching global and local movements in the economy, politics, art, fashion, entertainment, science, technology, etc. Color has always carried inherent meanings tied to the human psyche and color trend predictions must be culturally relevant to truly resonate with consumers.
With so many COTY campaigns it can be overwhelming to interpret what this means for a brand or individual product line. It may not be appropriate to apply a COTY literally or directly on a product or even a component of a product. But it is critical to understand how COTY influences prevailing attitudes so that informed color decisions can be made to keep products fresh and relevant.
Going into 2021 preferred colors are complex and muted. These colors will have warm undertones of yellow, replacing cool blue-based grays. Trending colors could even be considered earthy. Key color families include: yellows, greens, terra cotta & mushroom.
Colors move warmer and focus around terra cotta and other earthy hues.
Palette developed in collaboration with master batch manufacturer, Uniform Color.
Clay and yellow tones are lively yet inviting.
Project for contract furniture company, Falcon Products’ 2020 materials updates
Move over gray. Taupe is taking over. A huge shift away from cool gray towards a warmer, lighter neutral is big news. Think wet clay or mushroom. This color change will be seen in all industries and markets. Here it is demonstrated on several materials.