Discovering what is driving a trend helps me to discover how it can translate into products, services, materials and of course colors.
One of the driving factors across most trends today is that consumers are looking for a either a solution, a story or both.
I'll give you an example. I purchased the MacBook Air the day it came out. After a few weeks of use I have to say that I think it is phenomenal piece of equipment that has already been a 'solution' for me in so many ways; size, speed, integration not only with programs but with my iphone and the other Mac I often use in my office. Perfect!
So for me the MacBook Air is a real solution. But don't forget that I bought it the day it was released. That's because having the latest and coolest technology has become part of my 'story', my identity or status so to speak.
Certainly I craved a solution to streamline my life and Apple delivered but what they also gave me was a sleek, light, amazing machine that says something about who I am and what's important to me.
Think about the trends in your industry. Are you responding with products and services that offer your customers a solution or a story or both?
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We are in an age where creating our own reality has been an idea that has taken hold and it is easy to forget that this is a relatively new thought.
Our parents or grandparents and those before them wouldn’t have even considered that their thoughts could directly influence their physical world yet today it is widely accepted that we are who and what we think we are.
What we are still trying to figure out is how to channel our thoughts to create the life we desire. While many seek to understand this on a spiritual level, some see it as a means of achieving their goals for material success and many others simply accept the concept without the need for self-reflection..
We experience a ‘second life’ whether through technology and the virtual world, dining experiences, fantasy or hands-on vacations and often just through the music we chose to listen to, the clothes we put on or the elements we bring into our homes.
We have amalgamated our identities by blending our physical world with our mental reality, our cultural roots branch out to absorb other cultures further blurring the boundaries of where we came from and instead expecting to be accepted for who we have chosen to be.
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Tags: fashion, India
Authored by Kate Smith
After my meeting today I had time for a quick street tour of Delhi and a stop at Humayun’s Tomb before going to my client’s home for an Indian dinner.
Driving past hundreds of people gave me a sense of styles and colors but as my driver navigated the hundreds of cars, buses, mini cabs, moped riders and pedestrians in the streets it was impossible to get a picture that was in focus. Luckily when I walked about the grounds of the Tomb I was able to snap a few good shots.
These two young women happily posed to show off their saris. You can see my driver in the background. He is wearing a combination I saw on many men– classic colored slacks with a boldly colored shirts although the colors worn by the men in general are not as intense as those worn by the women.
Even young boys wore jeans or classic colored slacks with lots of color in their shirts or sweaters.
Two more young women who had seemed as interested in what I was wearing as I was in their wardrobe choices. Perhaps they were wondering why I had chosen navy blue and white.
Young and old alike gave me a show with their intensely colored saris.
I’m not sure why most of the local visitors to Humayun’s Tomb were women. Possibly they came with a group of men that were playing cricket in the field just outside the grounds.
I snapped my own shot of this group picture and my doing so seems to have distracted a few of the women in the top row.
Here two women have paired their traditional sari with denim jackets mixing the looks of east and west.
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Our focus on the environment is nothing new but it is important from a trends perspective to note that a shift in attitude has taken place.
While most consumers have agreed for some time that care and renewal of our natural environment is an issue that needs to be addressed until recently only a small number of individuals proactively took responsibility for making changes in the way they lived and worked.
This attitude has changed and currently many people now feel that simply voicing a concern isn’t enough and that each and every one of us must actively make changes in our homes and workplaces in order to ‘do no harm’.
Government leaders too have become more engaged in sustainability issues with politicians talking ‘green’. New legislation requiring businesses to operate with environmental consciousness has companies scrambling to keep up.
Companies that are ahead of the curve are touting their environmental savvy as a way to attract like-minded customers and stand above their competitors. In the near future however business operating in a way that supports sustainability will become a given in the minds of consumers and business leaders will need to add environmental best practices to an already long list of customer expectations.
For many companies this means implementing new processes but for others it will be more challenging and require developing new technologies, rethinking operations and reformulating products. All of this while keeping the end product or service priced competitively. This is one tall order to fill and unless tackled with keen insight an organization could put themselves out of business trying.
But try they will because this business eco ego is being fueled more by customers and their own eco ego than by legislation. Consumers taking positive action want to proudly shows off their environmental responsibility and their ability to reduce their carbon footprint through the products and services they chose.
While the environmental movement has spurred us to take a less self-centered and broader view of the long-term impact each of us has on the world we haven’t left behind our need for recognition. The paradox is that often the same people that feel most driven to make a significant difference also the same ones that want to be recognized for how brightly their halo glows.
It seems that keeping up with the Jones has become keeping up with the ‘Greens.’
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I’m en route to India by way of London today as I continue my quest to explore Views on Hues around the world and I look forward to sharing what I learn, see, and experience along the way.
I only had enough time in London to squeeze in one meeting and then hop back on the Express train from Paddington Station to Heathrow.
Just as I was making my way to the station among rows of brown buildings and gray clouds I crossed an alley and caught a glimpse of these four brightly colored doors.
This reminded me of how delightful even a small bit of color can be when it is a strong contrast to what surrounds it or when it is simply unexpected.
Now off for my flight to Delhi. Stay tuned!
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A survey and inventory of basidiomycete fungi (excluding rusts and smuts) of Belize and the Dominican Republic with emphasis on the fungi of pine forests.
While searching for something completely different I came across this color chart online and was intrigued by the range of colors. Who knew that fungi…or more specifically basidiomycete fungi…could be found in so many colors?
Found at Luquillo Experitmental Forest website
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Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone, Inc. and a fellow member of CMG, is quoted in Home Textiles Today as saying during her Las Vegas Market presentation, “In real estate it’s all about location, location. In color it’s context, context.”
See Leatrice’s descriptions of the Pantone 2008 home furnishings forecast…
Related links:
Pantone Color of the Year for 2008 on Live In Full Color…
Previous posts on Pantone on Color Pro…
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ICI Paints names “Ginger Ale” the color for 2008. Here’s what they had to say about this hue:
Yellow is a color long associated with opposing concepts-oriental and occidental, contemporary and traditional, spiritual and intellectual.
It transcends national cultures and preferences in its ability to communicate optimism, respect, radiance and wellbeing.
It is this duality that makes it so relevant for 2008 as we try to balance seemingly conflicting aspects of life, art, culture and innovation.
In a historic context it alludes to the timeless patina of gold and qualities of preciousness, while for the young its vibrancy is attention-grabbing, challenging and eccentric. This advancing colour has a physical effect on the nervous system caused by its pulsating and radiating quality.
Color psychologists associate yellow with forward thought and communication and for this reason it is often chosen, in paler tones, for schools, libraries and other institutions of learning and study.
People who favor yellow tend to be creative, expansive, inspirational and intellectual; it is very much seen as the balanced colour that sits between the realms of the mind, the spirit and the body.
More than any other hue, it has the ability to convey a mood of warmth, sociability and welcome. This soft and sunny shade is neither too strident nor to understated—a happy, forward-looking colour that speaks of optimism for the future but also represents a serious respect for history and the past—a warming reminder of the need for balance in all our thoughts and actions.
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