As it does every year, the international ColorForward team took a deep dive this past September into the state of consumer attitudes and likely color preferences for the coming years.
All four of the global social trends identified reflected an over-arching feeling of sadness, fear and distrust of the conventional world as-it-is. Behind that, however, is what might be termed a "silver lining." A sense of resolve… of determination to endure and a cautious optimism that people can make a difference and things will get better over time. This melancholy mood is evident in the fact that all the colors are toned down and a little bit grey but, at the same time, warm, organic and hopeful.
The ColorForward concept was created to help brand managers and designers anticipate – years in advance -- what colors will connect with consumers on a deep, emotional level. Today, after twelve successful years, this unique design tool is rapidly gaining credibility.
"We will present the 2018 forecast at Heimtextil in Frankfurt in January and at Stockholm Design Week in February, and we have been invited to speak at the prestigious Fuse London design event in December," says Judith van Vliet, ColorWorks Designer and a leader of the ColorForward team. "It is very unusual for a company like Clariant to be consulted on trends by the design community and I think is very real reflection of the respect they have for our work."
The ColorForward advantage arises from its long-term global view of social trends. Other forecasts, van Vliet explains, are more focused on reacting to short-term trends. Clariant, on the other hand, tries to identify the deep-seated emotions that influence how consumers respond to color and, by extension, to a manufacturer's product. She concludes: "I think that's what makes ColorForward different from other forecasts and why we are getting so much attention."
ColorForward 2018 has been completely repackaged this year. The presentation materials are simpler and cleaner. The forecast developers composed a single image for each of the four trend themes. Then, discrete facets of each image are used to represent the different elements of each trend.
The trend colors are offered in a printed booklet and with molded plastic plaques that allow participants not only to see the colors but also to touch them, feel them and hold them in different lighting or against different backgrounds.
The ColorForward 2018 trends and colors include:
Newmorrow
The Newmorrow trend theme reflects a sort of yin-yang mood among consumers. On the one hand, they believe the "system" is rotten; unable to change economic and social conditions that have become intolerable. On the other hand, there is also a conviction that change is still possible… not by government but from grass-roots efforts of individuals and small groups. This change, it is understood, will come only slowly and so there is a need for "cathedral thinking." Just as it took the work of generations to build the huge medieval churches of Europe, changing and improving a corrupt system requires unselfish commitment, a long-term vision and faith that the final objective can be achieved in the end.It is not surprising then, that the Newmorrow color palette includes a brownish green called Primordial Soup. It prompts references to sewage and death and some have referred to it as "the ugliest color in the world," but it also reminds us of the verdant, rich biological goop that spawned life as we know it.
LongitudeLatitudeAttitude
Dissatisfaction with conventional ways of living also stands behind the LongitudeLatitudeAttitude trend theme. It acknowledges that a growing number of human beings are choosing to have no fixed address. These are the "new nomads." Many are artists, musicians or creative entrepreneurs, but what they really have in common is the desire for a minimalist, wandering lifestyle, limiting their possessions to what they can conveniently carry. These New World citizens cherish the flexibility of a lifestyle that embraces their passion for life on the move and that immerses them in a fusion of ethnicities and interests.The colors of LongitudeLatitudeAttitude are Bohemian. They range from a purplish fuchsia, called Nomadness, a warm, almost-orange yellow named Kaleido tribe, and grey blue called Cirrus aviaticus after the contrails of jet planes against the otherwise cloudless sky.
Through the mirror Somewhere along the way, many consumers began to experience unpleasant feelings of emptiness related to their mainstream lifestyles. There is a sense that they have lost touch with their inner selves or, perhaps, never really considered that inner self as they felt their way through their lives. The trend theme named Through the Mirror attempts to capture a sense of ennui -- of being adrift in a modern world while, at the same time, knowing that a spiritual reawakening is possible.
The yoga practice of Taratak Meditation inspires the pearl orange color in the Through the Mirror palette. This Sanskrit phrase is pronounced 'trataka' and means to gaze steadily at a fixed spot in order to focus the mind inward, blanking out visual perception and withdrawing from the external world.
Nerdylicious
Out from the gloom that seems to lie behind the other trends described above, there comes the story about the validation of a group of people long stereotyped as a bunch of quirky, overly intellectual misfits – the "nerds." The Nerdylicious trend theme sees these brainiacs finding acceptance as innovators in a complex world, with continuous curiosity and a passion for exploring new ideas and complex puzzles.Although the colors of Nerdylicious are soft and subdued like most in the other trend groups, they are nevertheless the brightest and most optimistic of any in the 2018 palette. For instance, Lightning Boot is a transparent almost-orange yellow that is reminiscent of LED lights on a control panel, while Alberting out! is a slightly dirty optical white -- a tribute to the ultimate nerd, Albert Einstein. It reminds one of lab coats gone dingy after back-to-back 18-hour work days.
To learn more about ColorForward, please visit www.clariant.com/colorworks. Clariant also offers seminars at its four ColorWorks locations as well as at selected conferences and at customer sites.
