What Is the Perfect Color Worth?

What Is the Perfect Color Worth?

Inside the mysterious(məˈsti(ə)rēəs) art — and big business — of color forecasting(ˈfôrˌkast).

By Bruce Falconer(fal)

Last spring, a dozen(ˈdəzən) people filtered into a sunny(ˈsənē), whitewashed(-ˌwôSH,ˈ(h)wītˌwäSH) conference(ˈkänf(ə)rəns) room on the seventh floor of the Royal College(ˈkälij) of Art, overlooking London’s Hyde(hedə) Park. Mostly Western(ˈwestərn) Europeans(ˌyo͝orə-,ˌyərəˈpēən) from different precincts(ˈprēˌsiNGkt) of the fashion industry, they had been called together by a British man named David(ˈdāvid) Shah(SHä), editor and publisher of the “Pantone(ˈpanˌtōn) View Colour Planner(ˈplanər).” The book, issued(ˈiSHo͞o) each February(ˈfeb(y)o͞oˌerē,ˈfebro͞o-) and August(ˈôgəst), is a four-ring binder(ˈbīndər) containing pigment(ˈpigmənt) and textile(ˈtekˌstīl) standards of 64 colors arranged into nine distinct palettes(ˈpalit). Geared(gi(ə)r) primarily(prīˈme(ə)rəlē) toward designers(dəˈzīnər) and manufacturers(ˌmanyəˈfakCHərər), the book forecasts color trends (whether consumers are expected to gravitate(ˈgraviˌtāt) more toward brights(brīt) or neutrals(ˈn(y)o͞otrəl), jewel(ˈjo͞oəl) tones or pastels(paˈstel)) two years in advance(ədˈvans). Each edition is centered on some forgivingly abstract theme; recent volumes(-ˌyo͞om,ˈvälyəm) have investigated(inˈvestiˌgāt) the chromatic(krōˈmatik) possibilities of “disguise(disˈgīz),” “time” and “muse(myo͞oz),” for example.

That day, as the team decided(diˈsīdid) on colors for Spring/Summer 2019, the theme(THēm) was love. It was a balmy(ˈbä(l)mē) May morning, but Shah, with thin graying(grā) hair and glasses(ˈglasiz), was dressed(dres) in a navy(ˈnāvē) blue buttoned sweater(ˈswetər) with a thick(THik) scarf(skärf) wrapped(rap) loosely around his neck(nek). He frequently interrupted with questions as the handpicked members of his team took turns presenting(priˈzent,ˈprezənt) “mood boards” they had brought with them. Like oversize pages from a scrapbook(ˈskrapˌbo͝ok), these displays included photographs(ˈfōtəˌgraf), drawings, artworks, ribbons(ˈribən), textiles(ˈtekˌstīl), paint(pānt) samples(ˈsampəl), bits of plastic(ˈplastik), lengths of rope(rōp), tourist(ˈto͝orist) tchotchkes(ˈCHäCHkə) and, in one instance(ˈinstəns), a piece of frilly(ˈfrilē) lingerie(-jə-,ˌlänZHəˈrā).

There were spirited(ˈspiritid), far-ranging discussions(disˈkəSHən) of art, film, music, theater(ˈTHēətər), books, fashion, museum(myo͞oˈzēəm) exhibitions(ˌeksəˈbiSHən) and advertising(ˈadvərˌtīziNG) — anything that might hint(hint), even remotely, at where color was headed. Amid(əˈmid) the clamor(ˈklamər) of voices, Shah asked an American forecaster in the room to give the view from across the Atlantic(at-,ətˈlantik).

“What is the zeitgeist(ˈtsītˌgīst,ˈzīt-) going on in the United(yo͞oˈnīt) States about color?” Shah asked. “Are they big colors? Are they strong colors? Prime(prīm) colors?”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/magazine/what-is-the-perfect-color-worth.html