Colors Are Changing the World, One Trend at a Time

What do the Mars explorations, Fortnite and throwaway culture have to do with color trends? A lot more than you could imagine. In the latest podcast from LINAK, we explore where the power of color stems from and why it plays such an important role in daily lives. Learn about the immense amount of research that goes into helping predict where color trends are going and how they will affect people, businesses, and cultures.

Color Podcast

Colors have an immense effect on people and can be a powerful tool in impacting their behavior, mood, and thoughts. From being a kid in school and getting test results back with a lot of red marks on it to finally getting that green light after a long wait in the car, color surrounds everyone and influences people in all that they do. Where did this power of color stem from? Why does it play such an important role in daily lives? This is exactly what was explored in the latest LINcast podcast.

Guest Kerry Rowe, a color expert and owner of Kerry Rowe Design, LLC, works with companies to build color palettes and choose the right materials and finishes to help customers connect with their products. She deeply understands the role these decisions have in how customers perceive and value a business and what color and materials can provide customers.

"Color drives consumer decisions," said Rowe. "And if a color is not right on a product, most consumers will dismiss that product immediately. So, color is really important and therefore tracking and predicting color trends is a huge business."

People may notice the influence of color a lot more as they grow older, but Rowe says this power starts shortly after birth. The first color perceived by babies is red, and this is linked to basic survival skills. Purchasing decisions are just a drop in the vast bucket of influence that color has.

With all this power, people may think that companies could easily get consumers to buy their products. But predicting trends can be a difficult task. For her clients, Rowe puts together a yearly color and trend forecast presentation that helps make decisions around color, materials and finishes easier. In the episode, there are three major trend categories she sees as not only having an immediate impact on color choices and design but also the future of trends and how they will be slowing.

"We're shifting away from this throwaway culture, and it will absolutely affect the trend cycle in terms of how frequent things shift," says Rowe. "I think individual colors themselves will change slower…We want the newest, the best, and that doesn't really go hand in hand with sustainability."

Learn about Rowe's three trend categories and how they will impact the workplace. Watch, read, or listen to this episode, The Power of Color in Design, on all your favorite podcast platforms.

Source: LINAK U.S. Inc.