Color tells a story. It can even describe an entire decade. I attended a Benjamin Moore Webinar presented by Doty Horn (BM’s Director of Color and Design) about color trends over the decades in hopes of better understanding the context for the color trends that we see year to year. (note: Doty is a rock star, IMO).
But what I learned surprised me, which I’ll share with you at the end of this post (no cheating by scrolling down!).
There is an interesting rhythm of color over time. We tend to define time in decades, and illustrate them by external events and the aggregate emotional state of being at that time. There are wars, political changes, industrial and innovation changes, art and culture influences, and so on.
I’ll do my best to summarize each decade with key phrases, starting with 1880.
1880: Victorian Period, Grand, Glamour.
1890: Innovation, Gilded Age, Art Nouveau, Mauve, Cobalt Blue.
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A year ago, I attended Benjamin Moore’s ColorPulse 2011 and blogged about it here. 2011 Color Trends followed the theme of “Balance” illustrated through four trends: 1) Farm, 2) Order, 3) Escape and 4) Tribe.
After attending the 2012 ColorPulse event, I observed that some elements of these trends that are predicted to evolve into 2012, per the Benjamin Moore ColorPulse Color Trends report. Just as last year, these trends are a direct reflection of our environment.
There is an interesting trend identified in the 2012 forecast- Preservation. It is a curious reflection of our current economic and social climate. The overall desire to connect our past with our future. Perhaps context and relativity gives us a better sense of control in uncharted waters.
Preservation is broken out into 4 trends:
- Heritage – our past
- Process – our journey
- Protection – our vulnerability
- Enlightenment – our future
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Last week I attended Benjamin Moore’s ColorPulse™ 2011 web conference to get a sneak peak into upcoming color trends.
I sort of envisioned a crystal ball with lights of predictive color flashing out of it. Or perhaps a group of creative souls around a conference table at OPI discussing what to call this season’s nail polish colors.
But really, what I experienced was art imitating life. And yes, life is messy sometimes. It’s amazing how colors can both affect our mood and represent the world around us at the same time.
Four trends that inspire the overall theme of “Balance” were discussed.
- Farm
- Order
- Escape
- Tribe
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