2013 Chromazone – St Paul, MN Onsite Written Report Back

2013 ChromaZone – St Paul, MN Onsite Written Report Back

The Stories

Back to (actual) reality – With the abundance of digital tools available to help us capture our lives and our interests, we’ve become curators of our own reality, carefully selecting and manipulating what we choose to show the world. For some time we’ve been looking at life through multiple screens and layering of images, creating the illusion of depth and an altered sense of reality.

We are moving back towards authentic reality. Oversaturation and manipulation of color due to digital influences and digital media has lead to Color Fatigue. Emerging colors are more true to life, nature and color family. Cleaner. Chromatic - but not ultra-saturated. Muted, but not muddled. We are seeking true depth as opposed to layering. Imagery will be genuine and real with the emphasis less about looking perfect and more about capturing reality.

Sober Realism – Our quest for reality will be tempered; it will be neither overly pessimistic nor falsely optimistic. We are moving toward a more neutral political future and away from such a constantly anxious state. Is the “End of the World” phase finally passing? Have we seen all the zombies and monsters we can take?

We are on a quest for Self Actualization, trying to find the relationship between our physical selves and our spiritual selves, between self and environment. We are seeking a spiritual alignment or consciousness, a life energy aligning heart, body, mind, and soul. Spiritual colors: light, sheer, transcendent, or deep and centering, push back against playful digital colors.

Technology as a Super Power - Symbiotic Technology - Even as we are reaching back toward authenticity, we cannot ignore technology’s role in everyday life, creating immediate accessibility and connectivity. Technology will be incorporated into our everyday lives through wearable technology and through “touch screen” technology integrated into the surfaces of our homes. Siri will be assisting us in our cars, homes and workspaces and technology will be an extension of our hands.

Therefore it was a surprise and disappointment that Innovation Leader Apple became reactionary with iOS7. The bright, juvenile look and feel of the much-hyped operating system is a reaction to current climate, not the new direction in design and color that we are accustomed to seeing from this industry leader. There will be designers and manufacturers who will follow this direction, even though the design savvy among us feel it is “a miss”.

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Any unauthorized use or possession of CMG’s copyrighted Color Forecasts and/or related information shall be prosecuted to the fullest extent by CMG. Reproduction of this information in whole or in part is strictly forbidden without the express written permission of the Color Marketing Group. ©2009 COLOR MARKETING GROUP. All Rights Reserved. Fall Conference, Brooklyn, New York, April 2010 2013 ChromaZone – St Paul, MN Onsite Written Report Back

Mod Style meets Hipster Craft Movement - Digital fusing with hand crafted. Embracing the modern while reaching back for the past. Mod Style meets Heritage. Digital creativity is no longer clashing with authentic and hand crafted, they are fusing, We’re accustom to seeing the juxtaposition of high tech with traditional, but now we see Fusion. Seemingly opposing elements create unique pairings of color, materials, and design elements, environments.

Vintage finishes on modern materials, muted vintage tones accented with brighter colors. Lighter finishes in real woods, dark and light vintage finishes on wood. Wood grain texture in ceramic and concrete tiles, wood combined with metal. Emerging technological advances allow seemingly authentic wood textures to be created on laminates, which in turn allow laminates to look and feel like natural woods.

Traditional old-world styling and muted colors are mixing with contemporary clean lines and brighter colors. Retro colors of mint, reddish orange and taupe, mingle with brown, olive and deep inky blue and play with saturated yellows, reds and greens.

Fashion, pop culture and digital media continue to be driving influences on other industries. Digital color life spans are quick and playful. Color blocking creates visual interest, differentiation and conveys structure.

Blue stories are noticeably absent from the palette as we are finding our connection with nature through greens and brown, which also are strongly influenced by the Modern Hipster story. Many colors in the palette draw their strength from their ability to pair with other colors. Rich, saturated colors (Everjade, Bayou Dynasty, Regal Dreams) balance against lighter, sheer colors (Winter Bliss, Weathered Wood). Hues with a vintage twist (Umbria Clay, Dried Ink, Winter Bliss) serve as a base for vibrant accent colors (Insta-Red, Tree Frog, Light Ochre).

Rich, deep, elegant . . . cleaner, brighter more saturated . . . spiritual, feminine . . .retro, vintage, hipster . . . these are descriptions of colors for 2015 and beyond.

The Colors

Lip Smacker (saturated red)

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Bright and shiny like a candy apple, but with depth and elegance, Lip Smacker is inspired by cosmetics, fashion and contemporary graphics. Less purple than previous reds, this red is brighter, more saturated and glossy.

Insta-Red (red-orange) This super-saturated red takes a big step toward Orange. Confident, energetic and youthful, inspired by the world of instant digital color. Insta-red is an alternative to neon orange. Lip Smacker and Insta-Red represent the growing popularity of red and orange as an alternative to all the blue/green of the 2014 palette and will be popular across all industries.

Winter Bliss (pink) With the absence of pink on the 2014+ palette, Winter Bliss appears as a fresh direction: romantic, cosmetic, and sheer. Flirty with a sophisticated vintage side, this feminine side of sheer pairs with masculine, rustic neutrals and grays; and serves as a base for bright playful colors.

Everjade (deep blue green) Deep, saturated, more green than blue, Everjade is a contemporary jewel tone. Rich, mystical and mysterious, with a Gatsby Influence - the Perfect Hipster Green. Everjade represents a strong shift toward green from teal, will be paired brighter greens, blues and neutrals for use in Hardlines, Home Décor and Digital Web.

Bayou Dynasty (olive) Dark yet chromatic, Bayou Dynasty is moist, luscious and organic. Nature inspired reminiscent of a deep forest, it pairs well with bright accents and more muted retro colors. It has an organic feel, but is not grayed. This versatile olive will be prevalent in Fashion, Home, Automotive, Sport & Leisure, Consumer Electronics and the Web.

Tree Frog (botanical green) A brighter, yellower, refined botanical green with a techy influence. Though nature-inspired Tree Frog represents the more saturated side of nature. This spunky green will be popular in all industries both as a base and an accent color. (Contract, Home, Accessories, Stationary, Furniture Digital Media, Corporate Web.)

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Regal Dreams (purple) Stepping away from plum and moving toward magenta, Regal Dreams is brighter, redder with both a punky edge and the feel of royalty or fantasy. An evolution of Burgundy, with some international influence from the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. Regal Dreams will be found in Home, Hospitality, Automotive, Cosmetics and Digital Media.

Light Ochre (yellow) Light Ochre represents a true merging of green and yellow. A green-influenced light gold pairing beautifully with warm grays. Pushed from Europe, prevalent in China, emerging in furniture, cabinetry, and contract industries.

English Saddle – KEY COLOR (brown) The highly chromatic English Saddle is warmer and brighter than previous browns. Noted as the Key Color, English Saddle is a blend of the craft influence and the Modern Hipster movement. Rugged with a heritage feel, the color of whiskey or cognac, the color of weathered stressed leather. English Saddle will find a place in many industries including Home, Hospitality, Apparel. Accessories, Cosmetics, Contract.

Dried Ink (near black) Like the black of a midnight sky, Dried Ink is not a true black but represents a blue influence on black. Softer and more spiritual than true black, this color looks charred, ashen, has the feel of a faded tattoo, the depth of a spiritual sky. Dried Ink has a vintage twist without shifting toward brown. The perfect digital black, Dried Ink will be used by Home but not Contract, and will also find a place in Fashion, Furniture, and Cabinets as a replacement for navy and black.

Umbria Clay (balanced neutral) This clean neutral feels both spiritual and industrial. Umbria Clay is a perfectly balanced neutral, calming and grounded. It does not lean strongly toward any family so it is a solid base for deep saturated colors and bright chromatic accents. It can be found intertwined and woven in Nature, and is reminiscent of Industrial Weathered Wood. Popular across all industries, particularly Cabinets, Case Goods, Contract, Fashion, Home.

Weathered White (almost white)

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Although not pure white, this nearly white color is cleaner, brighter, and lighter than a traditional neutral. Weathered White is the essence of sheer. Spiritual in nature, crisp and airy, the color of clean white snow, Weathered White can have a sheer vintage tone or simulate a contemporary white wash. Certainly finding a place in Fashion and Cosmetics, this color will also appear in Furniture, Counter Top Kitchen, Laminates and Cabinetry.

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