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Color Trends: Made Up Make-Believe Or Factual Statements Of Researched Truth?

I have always thought that color trends were a peculiar concept. A few immediate questions come to mind. One, who on Earth is the grand decision maker of the hot color combinations for the next season or year? When is this decision made? Is there a secret color trend summit in an undisclosed location? Because it seems to be every manufacturer rep will come into my office with the same colors for the next update to my design library? How do they all, at the same time, know what colors are in?!?

Secondly, have you ever noticed that a “hot” color will not only show up splashed across home décor magazine covers, but also in your favorite clothing store? Which industry leads and which follows? Fashion or interior design? Is this where two creative worlds meet? I think it might be.

Here is my last major dilemma – do you really think the next hot combination is a new concept? All I know is what my mother likes to remind me every time we go to the mall: “I had something just like that when I was your age” or “I wore that same color for my junior prom”. So are we really creating new colors, or are the grand decision makers just putting the industry on a 30 year repeat cycle?

Think about it. I know for me personally you could not get me pulled away from the color family that involved bright green, dark teal, deep taupe and hints of rust for about two years. Picasso had his color periods; this is what I have tagged as my “saturated jewel tone period”. So from the year 2006 – 2008 this is the color combination I craved. If you look at any of my work from that time, you are bound to see one of those colors, if not multiple, included somewhere. So why all of the sudden am I drawn to dark charcoal grey and ochre yellows? Is it because the last time I went to Macy’s I purchased a really sweet horizontal design cable knit sweater in deep yellow and it looks really good with my favorite grey pants? Do we live what we design? Or do we design what we live? I had a professor in design school that suggested that when we give client presentation to “dress to match” or at least “not clash” your work. So perhaps the two industries work hand in hand.

We may not know who is the master of color trend theory, but I think it is safe to say that history, no matter a good or bad idea (who decided to bring back jump suits?!?), can repeat itself. So if I am able to keep designing my world, I am predicting that in 2036 I will be pulling my favorite “saturated jewel tones” from my color box and placing them on a wall near you.

Want to know more about color trends? Check out Sherwin Williams

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www.design-sherpa.com

A Picasso

PICASSO, le héros. (Repères. Contemporains.) …