Destination Nevada County

Color TRENDS
By James Bartlett
It happens every year, usually in the fall,
sometimes in December. “The color of the
year” is announced by a paint company,
design website, or a fashion magazine.
The Color Marketing Group recently
announced what colors its members believe
will be big in 2017, and “Thrive,” a
yellow-influenced green, was one of the
big winners. (“#Thrive is the Key North
American Color for 2017,” the company
posted on its Facebook page. “This yellow-influenced
green promises to show
#endurance #longevity and #health.”)
How, exactly, do companies and organizations
come up with these colors?
CMG, which is based in Alexandria,
VA., is a non-profit that helps pick and
predict colors for a variety of products.
CMG members (color design professionals
including officials from Pantone)
gather throughout the year in a series of
“ChromaZone” workshops around the
world to discuss the future and what color
it’s going to be. Participants come armed
with PowerPoints, swatches, test cards
and other materials to present their stories
about their proposed color choices.
Former CMG Mark Woodman says that
politics, pop culture, spots, technology
and social issues can influence the selection
of colors as well. There were months
of lab time, as well, with exotic-sounding
machines like the “Spectrophotometer”
breaking down colors to work on their
formulas and the “SpectraLight” showing
what potential paints looked like under
various kinds of light.
McLean then turned to a thesaurus and
French and Spanish dictionaries to come
up with names for new colors, including
“Gatsby Glitter,” “Cotton Club,” “Palm
Springs Splash,” “Aged Whisky” and
“Mountain Bluebird.”
Woodman and the other trend forecasters
are already planning-ahead for what
we’re going to see on park playgrounds,
car doors or kettles in 2018. “But there are
no wrong colors,” Woodman says. “Just
colors done wrong.”
Excerpts taken from LA Times article Dec. 2, 2015
Mark Mertens, owner of MTM Painting
recently shared with us his thoughts on
color trends.
“Today, color palettes can be inspired
by and customized, based on an individual’s
lifestyle, music, and emotion.”
When Mark is asked “With so many
choices, how do you decide on a color
palette that’s going to provide
long-term livability and durability?”
the answer is easy.
Mark has seen his share of “color
trends.” In 30 plus years as a
painting contractor, he knows
that it’s the type of project that
should dictate the color choice,
not the current trend. But, if
you are intrigued by the latest
color trend, and want to create
your customized color palette,
you’ll find it at Moule Paint and
Glass, the premier source of
paint and glass in western Nevada
County since 1949. They
are Mark’s resource for high
quality paints, coatings, stains
and refinishing products. Both
MTM Painting and Moule
Paint and Glass offer you consultation
assistance in choosing
the perfect color for your project,
and provide you with the
highest quality product selection
and service
Both MTM Painting and
Moule Paint and Glass are dedicated
to providing the highest
standards of professional service,
and neither is a “trend.”
144 DESTINATION Nevada County