Colour is one of the most important decisions when it comes to the elements of a design - if it's not the very first choice.
Colour is symbolic and traditionally signifies emotion and sensation (think red for anger and blue for calm), but did you also know that colours relate to what is happening in the world on a global scale? Economic, political, environmental, philosophical and technological trends all affect what colour combinations consumers lean towards and how designers apply and utilise them.
Due to what goes on in our world being ever-changing, colour trends vary from year to year. The trend between 2000 and 2010, according to this site, shows an alternating return to blues and reds interspersed with yellows, neutrals and teals, with a rich pink called Honeysuckle being Pantone's colour of the year for 2011.
The Colour Trend Prediction for 2012 is 'Preservation'
According to this article, the Preservation palette as been unpacked into four trend categories, each pertaining to our past, our journey, our vulnerability and our future:
- Heritage - earth tones, oxides, ochre, golds, yellows, reds
- Process - blues, greens, neutrals, greys
- Protection - greys, slates, bronzes, golds, silver, metallics, pearlescents, rich brown purples
- Enlightenment - contrasted colours, silver, fuschia pinks and vibrant blues, purples
This all may seem a little deep and convoluted, but compare this with the fashion world, for example, and the world/colour trend parallels become clearer. With colour, as in fashion, there are also timeless styles. There are plenty of colours that are ageless, so one need not change their logo or website seasonally!
We humans are visual creatures, and colour is subjective, so whether you're wanting to create a fresh new design or update an existing one, you will no doubt have colours and colour combinations in mind that are absolute favourites, as well as those you would like to avoid. When it comes to colour for your design, we keep all of these aspects in mind.
