2007 Color Forecast!

At the Color Marketing Group International Spring conference 2006, more than 400 color design professionals gathered together to create the 2006-2007 Consumer Colors Current® and the 2008 Color Directions® palate.

So what's on the horizon for 2007? Denise Turner, ASID, CID and the CMG's Western Regional chairman, gives Pure Contemporary the forecast.

Reds continue to lead the consumer forecast and are heading into two distinct directions. The red family is more “livable” and is heavily influenced by the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as global influences from Central America and India. Reds are both cooling down and warming up simultaneously.

A new introduction to the red family is Rubino, a raspberry hue. Terracotta and brown influenced reds continue to be the best selling.

Cooler reds are becoming more chromatic with deeper pinks moving toward coral, while the warmer reds have been popular for years and are becoming classic colors.

While reds continue to be an important factor in the forecast, blues, specifically blues inspired by the environment, are gaining in popularity.

We may be tired of seeing spa blue colors, but the consumers are not. In the blue family, Aqueous is a sophisticated new introduction that bridges blue and green inspired by spa influences and ocean hues. Aqueous will be used as both an accent color as well as a predominant color; a new retro that is often paired with brown.

Additionally, the workshop participants talked of a big movement from yellow-green to blue-based green.

Greens show a major shift, yellow-greens to more blue-based greens. The established greens are both botanical and acidic. While slightly nostalgic and retro, the green family reflects the increased awareness of Green Design, sustainability and eco-savvy products.

Oranges are becoming more bronzed and versatile. These old world colors have gone main stream and have moved beyond accent colors.

Purples are noticeably scarce. They are light lavenders moving from clean to murky.

Grays/Neutrals have taken a strong shift from the silvery, metallic neutrals to flat and somber neutrals. The new charcoal gray balances the richer colors from other families and complements brushed metallic finishes.

Brown is becoming a more universal color, shifting to complement other families and being used as neutral pairing and luxurious combinations. The new deep browns range from a burgundy-cast to green-cast. Browns continue to sell strong across all industries.

The Color Marketing Group, Alexandria, VA. Founded in 1962, CMG is an international, not-for-profit Association of more than 1,000 Color Design Professionals. Color Designers are professionals who enhance the function, salability and/or quality of a product through their knowledge and appropriate application of color. CMG members forecast Color Directions one to three years in advance for all industries, manufactured products and services.

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