the
art & science of
freshdesign™
(color)
"It's Hue"
Global Influences on Color and Design
AIFD National Symposium
Washington, DC
July 6, 2006
Presented by Ken Charbonneau
Color Marketing Consultant
Kenneth is the former Director of Color Marketing for Benjamin Moore & Co., a Past President of the Color Marketing Group and a recipient of the Dimmick Award presented for outstanding achievements in the field of color marketing. A member of the Interior Forecast Committee of the Color Association of the United States, he was featured in "Color Czars," an HGTV production.
A leading color authority for his insights on color, its impact on both living and working environments, Ken is a sought after speaker on the subject of color and trends. He is a color-marketing consultant for the laminate, carpet, floral, paper, giftware and fragrance market.
& Joe Smith, AIFD
Floral Designer
Joe, is one of the floral industry's leading communicators, is the former Creative Director for the Dole Corporation. He opened and is currently managing Ilex…for Flowers, a design store in Nashville, TN, catering to high-end floral designs. Joe was the recipient of the AIFD's Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry in 2000.
Featured on the Martha Stewart Show and HGTV, Joe's work has been published in Architectural Digest, Southern Accents, Southern Living, and in Town and Country. With over 35 years in the floral industry, Joe shares his knowledge and artistic talents with students and audiences, internationally and across the United States.
Introduction: The Power of Color
Color is the most important factor at the point of purchase - often more important than price. If the color - or color combination - is right, we will buy it. Color can be seductive. How often have we purchased something we really did not need because the color of the item was beautiful and enticing? Any product, no matter how mundane, provided it is designed correctly and targeted to the right audience, will sell well if it comes in the right colors. Color often makes "something old" appear to be "something new".
Color Forecasting Associations
Because color is vital to the sales of virtually everything that we come in contact with, it is of no great surprise that the need to exchange information about color has resulted in the formation of two major color associations.
The Color Association of the U.S. (CAUS) has been in existence for over 30 years. Originally it was involved with color in the fashion industry. Today, they offer color forecast cards for Women's Wear, Men's Wear and Children's Wear. In addition, there is an Interior Color Forecast card. Interestingly, the Interiors card is the most popular and is frequently purchased by fashion manufacturers. The colors for each card are selected by a panel of experts who are influential leaders in their industries. Any or these entire forecast cards can be purchased by any individual or company for reference in developing a color line for their product.
The Color Marketing Group is a few years younger but is equally important. They offer individual membership to color forecasters and designers. As their name implies, they are interested in the marketing and sales of products through the careful selection of usable color palettes. Members meet twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Everyone participates in intense workshops for which they have prepared by bringing their own personal color forecasts for their particular industry. The individual and group forecast are finally condensed into a palette that represents a consensus of what everyone has contributed. The final palette is not for sale and is only available to CMG members for their exclusive use.
Global Influences
Let's look at some countries and cultures that are making a major impact on today's color palettes:
Morocco
The warm and exotic colors and fragrances of a Moroccan bazaar. Rich oranges and corals with golds and yellows. Hammered bronze objects, sumptuous oriental rugs. Then there are the spice shades (and aromas) of curry, cumin, cinnamon, anise, paprika, and others. Not to forget the dark black-brown of Moroccan coffee.
India
Unexpected color combinations of hot pinks, multi-reds mixed with orange and coral. Lavish silk sari colors - intense blues, greens and violets embellished with metallic gold and silver threads. In contrast, dark heavily carved woods - sensual statues, furniture, fretwork and doorways.
The Caribbean
It's all about the colors of sky and water - intense, dazzling turquoise and blue - aqueous colors. Almost always paired with crisp, clean whites and pure sand colors. Mix with lush tropical flowers and foliage. Textures of woven palm leaves and rattan. These same jewel shades also appear in Persian and Turkish tiles and ceramics.
The Pacific Rim
Colors that are hundreds, even thousands of years old. Ancient colors such as celadon ware, the Chinese ceramics produced as early as the 9th century and still in production today. The celadon color range is very broad - from olive to an almost robin's egg blue. The most common has a distinctive milky green glaze. The color variation depends on the period of time the object was made and where in the Orient it was produced.
The Pacific Rim also manufactured the much-prized blue and white export ware, celebrated in Europe and the New World during the 18th century. This also continues to be made at multiple price levels and design variations.
Included in this palette are lacquer colors of red, black and orange - and we must not leave out cinnabar.
Arctic Ice
Specifically for the upcoming holiday season, we see a continued move away from the cliché of "Christmas Red and Green". How many interiors today can tolerate these tired tones? It's time to explore new, more elegant holiday palettes and textures. Arctic Ice is about frosted and sugared surfaces and textures. Whites and blues with metallic silver or gold. It's about transparency, translucency, and light - reflective surfaces. These are as glamorous as a Deco movie set from a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's film.
Printed with permission
|
