News
Color Marketing Group predicts hot colour trends for 2009

Jan. 9, 2009 – What
colours are in store for us in 2009?  According to Color Marketing
Group, the top choices have been influenced by both our concern for the
economy and our optimism about the future.

What
colours are in store for us in 2009?  According to Color Marketing
Group, the top choices have been influenced by both our concern for the
economy and our optimism about the future. 

Color
Marketing Group, the leading international non-profit association of
colour design professionals, has been accurately predicting colour trends
for more than 45 years. CMG predicts more evolution than revolution in
colour trends for the coming new season.

"We're finding
comfort in colours that are familiar, and yet, at the same time, we're
embracing colours that make us happy — especially as accents," said
executive director, Jaime Stephens. "Everyone’s concerned about the
economy, yet the spirit of the country coming together after the
election is powerfully reflected in these choices.  Also, the demand
for colours and products that reflect an environmentally 'greener' world
goes way beyond a trend. It's now 'a given.' "

According to CMG, look for these colour trends in 2009:

Purple, Purple, Purple!
– Emerging as a hot fashion colour last fall, purple is not just a fad
— it's an entrenched trend, strongly influenced by the election.
(After all, red plus blue equals purple.)  Look for a greyed-out violet
that works equally well as an accent or a neutral, as well as redder,
plummier purples and bluer-influenced fuchsias in a huge range of
products.  Purple is 2009’s “must have” colour.

Blue is the New Green
– Various greens have symbolized "green living” over the last few
years, but in 2009 the "green" environmental message is delivered by
the colour blue. There are watery blues, sky blues and a whole range of
blues that now represent our commitment to living on a greener planet. 

Cooled-down, Greyed-out Browns and Greys
– Complex neutrals satisfy our urge toward classic colours in an
economically challenged time. They also bridge the area between black,
which seems harsh, and brown, which doesn't seem strong enough. 

Yellow for Energy
– The neutrals may have greyed, but look for lots and lots of bright
vivid yellow to give us energy as we re-build the economy.  It's the
stand-out accent colour for 2009.

Bright Accents from India, China, and Turkey
– The exotic has become the familiar. Oranges, turquoises and teals,
reds, and yellows will abound in hues from far-away countries that now
seem very near. They are the optimistic touches we crave.

White is now a Business Color
– Technology has produced amazing new (and very practical) finishes,
which helps explain why white is showing up everywhere, even in
corporate board rooms. The contrasts are all in the finishes: matte
versus gloss; shine and shimmer on reflective surfaces; textured whites
versus smooth — all washable and cleanable. White also represents
purity of thought, motive and result – exactly what we want from
businesses now.

The Return of the "M" Word – It's mauve.
Remember mauve?  An old colour that looks new again, in dusty violet
shades, mauve works as an accent but also serves now as a neutral,
punched up by those bright Asian accents (orange, turquoise, teal, red,
and yellow.)