Trendspotting |
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| Written by Vivian McInerny | |||||||||
| Tuesday, January 10, 2012 | |||||||||
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Color
At one time, trendsetters could declare a single “it” color. The world is more complicated now. Consumers aren’t likely to universally embrace the same color any more than they'd all hunger for the same food. Fortunately, paint remains relatively low cost, so you can sample and savor the variety. Paint manufacturers come out with several palettes of colors each season, so scores of colors are pushed to market, but for spring 2012 blue is a dominant hue. Pantone, tracker and determiner of colors used in fashion and design, offers nine poetically titled palettes and multiple shades of blue. Names such as Blue Mist, Celestial, Turkish Sea, Quarry, Grapemist and Grape Compote give some indication of the breadth and scope of the shades, from barely-there blues to saturated purplish blues. Some experts predict clear bright colors — think summer sky blue — will appeal to younger consumers, but most contemporary choices offered appear to be more complex blends such as Lexington or Rocky Hill Blues by Rodda. Pantone also declared Outrageous Orange the color of 2012. It's doubtful the citrus shade will have broad appeal. Paints from Portland-based Yolo offers three coordinating color groups for 2012 including a Dusk to Dawn palette of complex shades of bluish-purple that look rich and sophisticated, and Sprout, which includes a fresh almost robin’s egg blue. Color psychology, the relatively new study of the effect of color on human emotion and behavior, suggests blue is a calming color. Maybe that’s why, in these chaotic times, we’re feeling blue.
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