I recently took a class from a member of the Color Marketing Group (CMG), Margi Kyle. Margi, a knowledgable and generous lady, shared a wealth of information with me and now I am going to share it with you. I think you will find it fascinating.

CMG’s job is to identify the direction of color trends for the upcoming season. It is important to note that CMG’s Forecasts are color “directions” not directives, which are best interpreted by Color Designers, based on their specific industries and products.

Each year over 400 members of the CMG get together, and through an involved and painstaking process of Design Workshops, they track trends and their influences on design and color. These “influences” run the gamut from social issues to politics, the environment, the economy and cultural diversity. Understanding the influences provides the most useful information, and it is the input of so many Color Designers, that gives each Forecast its tremendous validity. So now you know how the colors are chosen that you will be wearing and decorating with and seeing throughout the marketplace.

Now the information for this upcoming year: Have you ever noticed at times that a color you love is simply not out the2010 color forcastre?  That’s because it is not a part of the color forecast.  Just a few years ago, if you liked purple, you were out of luck. You couldn’t find purple fabrics, purple towels,  purple sweaters , purple anything, because it was not an “in” color. Well, if you like purple, now’s your chance! Purple is still in the Forecast and will be for a while. In better economic times, trends would move faster, but as the economy slows down, so do the speed at which trends come and go. Gray is “the” neutral because it is a grounding color during difficult times, although brown is still “in.” Mauve, in a new and updated version, is on its way back. (Yes, I said mauve.) Aqua is also in. See all the forecasted colors and the equivalent Sherwin Williams paint colors to the right. Check in next week for more on coming trends in home design.