It was an evening that had more than a hint of tint. Color experts from the Color Marketing Group in Arlington, Va., painted a picture of the new 1993-94 palette for area product designers.
”In a world full of anxieties because of corporate mergers and the excesses of the `80s, people are wanting natural colors because it makes them feel more comfortable,” said Merle Lindby-Young, color consultant. The marketing group`s consensus was that environmental shades that denote clean water, air and foliage are the directions in which we`re headed.
”Lots of greens, beautiful blues and yellow as a humanizing color,”
said Lindby-Young. ”It`s the nuances of those colors that make the difference between the harvest gold of the `60s and the gold that`s perfect for now-the gold of the antiquities.”
The palette, which is forecast as much as three years in advance, is annually created by the Color Marketing Group`s 1,000 or so members.
”Color decision-makers get together and bring their inspirations to the table,” said Lindby-Young. ”The group starts to see where there are similarities. Then they come up with what they truly think are forecast colors.”
Some hues never die. ”Black, red, yellow . . . the very basic colors are almost always there,” she said. ”Others will emerge because they`ve been missing for a while and there`s almost a need for it. Blues-except for navy and teal-have been lacking.”
In brief, the `50s were bright and primary, the `60s were psychedelic, the `70s were the age of beige and the `80s were about multiple choice, with every color under the sun. The `90s will be about awareness, simplifying, editing down and not being greedy.
