Online Exclusive: Color Trends: What’s Next?

The success or failure of a color used in a particular product or package has to do with how well the product and the color connects with a consumer under market conditions.

By Cristina Carrara, designer, Clariant ColorWorks

What colors will consumers respond to in the near and mid-term future? Product developers and

The ColorForward presentation kit opened to show the colors, and the companion brochure.

package designers must ask themselves this question whenever they start thinking about bringing something new to the market. It is easy to fall into the trap of looking for the “next hot color,” but the truth is that there is no such thing. Colors connect with certain people at certain times and in certain situations and what might work well in the fashion or automotive industry, won’t necessarily appeal to buyers of beauty products. So, how do you choose the right color for your next package?

People tend to be attracted by some colors and repelled or disturbed by others. The differences may arise from deep-seated personality traits, life experiences, basic desires and even subconscious mental processes. The success of a color in the marketplace is also influenced by current societal trends and events. These can include the health of the economy, pop culture concepts, natural disasters, war, scientific discoveries or, in fact, almost anything that captures consumer interest and emotion. The success or failure of a color used in a particular product or package has to do with how well the product and the color connect with a consumer under market conditions.

Every year, a team of color and design experts from Clariant Masterbatches confronts this challenge in the process of creating ColorForward, a dedicated color forecasting service for the plastics industry. They consult with hundreds of other analysts from industries as diverse as architecture, textiles, packaging, housewares, automotive and fashion. Many trends are considered, but only those with true global impact make the final cut.

ColorForward 2013, the seventh such forecast created by the team, presents a color palette based on four powerful societal trends that are expected to have a strong global impact in the near time frame. These color collections include:

• Scien-Sational represents the faith we have that science and technology will develop products that will improve the quality of life for everyone.

• Foodture’s palette is very organic and mirrors our relationship to food, which has never been stronger or more diverse.

• Communination deals with the concept of community, where the focus is not always about location, but more about finding people who share similar interests, values and causes.

• Enough… Is Enough! The colors of this palette foster a sense of quality and durability. Frugality has become part of our lifestyle and accumulating possessions is out. We want real value and what we buy should provide a meaningful experience.

The colors are conceptual ideas. They are meant to inspire the imagination and can be mixed, matched, and freely adapted to the needs of local markets or blended with regional influences.