By Kathleen Sexton Kaiser
If you are not aware of the Color Marketing Group, and you have anything to do with design and color decisions, you should at least have CMG as a highly qualified reference point. Founded in 1962, CMG is a not-for-profit, international association of color design professionals involved in the use of color as it applies to the profitable marketing of goods and services. CMG provides a forum for the exchange of non-competitive information relating to all phases of color marketing; color trends and combinations; design influences; merchandising and sales; and education and industry contacts.
I became aware of CMG in the early 70s when I worked in the fashion and music industries. Back then, ordering dyes for fabrics or ink to print album covers required a lot of advance planning. CMG established itself as the top resource when printers, weavers, paint manufacturers and many others needed to buy qualities in advance, like a year in advance for deep discounts.
Today, this rule applies even with many things being created on a computer. If the created piece is to become a tangible, touchable item, it needs ink or dyes to do that. I have found over the years CMG to be on the cutting edge with their predictions, often two or three years ahead of the curve.
Here is a little about the group from their website:
Mother Nature was the first color stylist, with an endless array of color options and a keen understanding of color’s purpose in the world. In nature, color isn’t random. It attracts, warns, and informs.
In the manmade world, the right color conveys an image, sets a mood, and defines a style. It can even suggest a price point. Color helps products sell. So how do we determine which color is the right color for a given application?
The members of Color Marketing Group convene throughout the year, in local and international gatherings, to discern what innovations are about to change the world, what adaptations we need to make, and which hues best express how colors evolve with the times. From discussions ranging from social change to social media, from technology to nature, from keynote speeches to firsthand workshops, trends emerge. Consensus is reached. And the palette of the future takes shape.
We’re not just passionate about color. For us, passion and color are one and the same.
WHY WE DO IT
Color is everywhere – from the metallic finish of an automobile to the aged look of paint. What happens from a color standpoint in one-industry impacts another, causing color influences to constantly change? The interaction of color experts is vital in order to remain on the cutting edge of what is happening not only in your business, but the business of everyone else. After all, the world becomes smaller every day.
“Color Sells…and the ‘Right’ Colors Sell Better!”
WPN used the 2015 color palette below to select the colors for our new logo.
If you are interested in more, here is an excellent YouTube with John West, VP of Color Forecasting for Color Marketing Group talks about how they create these palettes who forecast colors, hues and tints.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqBWjfI2WQE
You can sign up for the free CMG Color Alerts on their website:
http://www.colormarketing.org