We are over two thirds of the way through the year and I was wondering if this color of the year embodies the year now that we know what 2009 is about. When the color was released this was the “why” behind Mimosa:

“The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute^®. “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

“I think it’s just the most wonderful symbolic color of the future,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It’s invariably connected to warmth, sunshine and cheer – all the good things we’re in dire need of right now.”

Yes, we have for many reasons in 2009 needed reassurance so I think Lee was absolutely on target.  It hasn’t just been this strong yellow that we have been draw to either.  Many brighter colors including hot pink, turquoise and grassy green bring us the cheery feelings we are seeking.

Yellow is a beautiful and natural complement to purple which has held a place in our hearts for several seasons.  Anytime one color is strong it is very likely that the complementary color will appear as well and this is true for yellow and purple in 2009.

All indications are that we are going to continue to need the reassurance of sunny Mimosa for some time to come as work through some tough times.  This reminded me of another symbolic interpretation of this color during times of high unemployment and financially troubling times.  The yellow brick road in the movie, Wizard of Oz.

Some people think that the yellow bricks symbolized the gold standard, and at the time some…

…believed that the gold standard, like the yellow brick road, had many pitfalls for ordinary people.

Dorothy’s trek down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City recalls an event that took place during the winter of 1893-1894. High unemployment led a populist from Massilon, Ohio, named Jacob Coxey to organize a march on Washington, DC to promote his plan to put people back to work through a public works program.

Funny how this sounds vaguely similar to some of what we’re hearing today.  Maybe that explains why when listening to the news lately I find myself wondering if we’re on the road to nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

For more on yellow and Pantone’s 2009 color of the year, Mimosa:

• Trend Tuesday: I can see clearly now that sunshine is hear on Color for Your Home
• Bringing this year’s color into your home:2009 Color of the Year is Warm and Cheerful
• Julie’s take on Live In Full Color:Mimosa- color of the year 2009
• On Sensational Color: All About the Color YELLOW

My friends and colleagues, Jill Morton and Leatrice Eiseman comment on color as the is having on holiday sales in an article by Bruce Horovitz in USA TODAY.

From the article: In the most economically depressing holiday season in decades, there’s one buzzword — besides cheap — that’s still got game at retail: color.

That’s right. Bleak 2008 also happens to be the holiday season when shoppers want many of their gifts to be colorful. Or at least, a different color from last year’s model. And not necessarily apparel: products such as electronics, appliances, kitchen décor, even luggage and their tags. IPods now come in a gazillion colors; so do cellphones and digital cameras. Ditto for laptops and home computers. Color is gaining traction for small appliances, such as blenders and popcorn poppers — and big ones, such as ranges.

“Color is the one area where consumers are saying, ‘I’m going to indulge,’ ” says Marshal Cohen, retail guru at NPD Group. When Cohen advised retail clients about the 2008 holiday, his No. 1 suggestion for most was to expand color selection. Some are adding color and nothing else. Cohen says that’s OK: “When you add color to a product, you stimulate the consumer’s awareness that the version they already have is obsolete.”

Color consultants aren’t surprised.

While in a bleak economy, some companies and consumers are more somber in their choices — but a lot go the other way and embrace color. “People form a personal connection to a product in a color they like,” says Jill Morton, head color consultant at Colorcom. This can be particularly critical, she says, “in times of doom and gloom.”

Even in an atmosphere of lost jobs and dwindling 401(k) savings — or maybe because of it — vibrant colors symbolically and psychologically “speak to change,” says color consultant Leatrice Eiseman.

It seems like the rest of the world is discovering what many of us have known for years- COLOR SELLS!

So what colors are you buying this holiday season?

Read the entire article:  More holiday shoppers are buying gifts based on color

Related:

If like me you are fascinated with color and can never get enough you’ll be interested to know that both Jill and Leatrice also have blogs.  Check them out.

Go to Jill’s blog

Go to Leatrice’s blog

PANTONE® announced that they have chosen 14-0848 Mimosa as their color of the year for 2009.  In the announcement the color is described as “a warm, engaging yellow.”

“The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute^®. “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

Best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail, the 2009 color of the year represents the hopeful and radiant characteristics associated with the color yellow.

Mimosa is a versatile shade that coordinates with any other color, has appeal for men and women, and translates to both fashion and interiors. Look for women’s accessories, home furnishings, active sportswear and men’s ties and shirts in this vibrant hue.

When President-elect Barack Obama met with John McCain on Monday to talk teamwork, his tie was blue.

When Obama met President George Bush at the White House to talk transition the Monday before that, his tie was blue.

Bush’s was too. No news there.

But, after a campaign defined by “change,” few political style watchers guessed that Obama would perpetuate this necktie trend that Bush propagated some eight years ago: powder blue as the new power red.

Whether Obama’s choice is calculated or subconscious, good reasons exist for hewing to blue.

“It’s the color attached most to dependability and constancy, a message that Americans want to believe in troubled times,” said Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of “Color: Messages & Meanings” (Hand Books Press, 2006). “Obama has used blue most consistently [with this idea], representing a kind of grace under fire.”

Read the entire story “Obama’s call for change doesn’t extend to his blue ties” by Wendy Donahue on ChicagoTribune.com

Blue ties shown are from one of my favorite places to buy both shirts and ties, Thomas Pink.

Senator O’Bama photos all from ChicagoTribune.com

With a fine arts degree and years of product development, management and marketing behind me I had a great foundation but when I decided to pursue solely work with color I know I needed to learn the ins and outs from a color professional who was already successful in the field.

I didn’t want to learn from just anyone.  I went straight to the leading expert in the field, Leatrice Eiseman and if you are interested in pursuing color consulting or adding skills that can enhance a related field I recommend you do the same.

Learn more about Lee’s color classes as well as why I give it my personal recommendation– Learning from Leatrice Eiseman