Seasonal Color Forecasts

Pantone Color Forecast Fall 2007

I am preparing the style plan for some product displays that I'll create at the summer San Francisco International Gift Fair in late July. There is only one place to start this kind of project, for me, and that is the Pantone Insitute's Color Forecast. If you click on the link, you'll go straight to the page on their website that details the fall 2007 forecast colors, moods, styles, and inspirations for fashion & home. Leatrice Eiseman, one of the principle designers for Pantone, lives here in my neck of the Northwest woods and is a brilliant colorist. I love hearing her speak on color trends.

The Pantone seasonal forecast is an invaluable tool for retailers, trust me. No, you may not want to order every product in these colors - but you sure can paint a wall or display backdrop or even one single prop in one of these colors to make your displays relevant to current trends. And that catches your customers' eye, which sells products...amazing how that works!!! You can SO easily rev up even old merchandise by slipping in a touch of 'THE hot color' of a season...add some solid pottery or linens in one of these colors to existing neutrals, and you've upped the ante considerably.

I pulled colors directly from the forecast, and divvied them up to form two palettes: one Autumn, one Winter. I am creating two separate displays around those seasons at the entrance to the Moscone South Hall. Here's a sneak peek:

Autumn

Espresso Brown, Persimmon Orange, Saffron Yellow, Royal Purple, Moss Green, and Gold metal. It's an exotic, rich, textural, layered, Earth-friendly, Eco-conscious, and 'Green' main course with a Moroccan side dish.

Winter

Espresso Brown again, Deep Slate Blue, Ocean Teal, Periwinkle Blue, Chili Pepper Red, Moss Green again, and Silver metal. Urban, contemporary, minimalist Swedish design aesthetic, simple living, artist-made/high-art craft look. Holidays with panache, not kitsch: Cocktail party Christmas.

Exhibitors will receive this information from the show producers, and then choose & send in products that I will use in the display setups. (And I DO so love not having to run all over Moscone gathering them, I tell ya....) If you will be attending the San Fran show as an exhibitor, make sure you come by during setup and say hello! (Bacchus, this means YOU! Bring the baby!)


An Added Note: Kate commented that she likes the way I used the Pantone forecast palette to create my own....that is really how they intend you use it. It's supposed to be a tool for your business - if you have an ultra-modern store, some colors won't work well. Ditto if you're a shabby cottage style home store. You need to be judicious, and choose what works for your style, your brand, your customer base. Take that royal purple and pale it down to a grayed lavender & pair it with the moss green, or rev up the chili red by adding gray with it in groupings. Make color trends work for YOU - not the other way around! It's your store, and you're the expert that your customers listen to & follow.

SFIGF Link: http://www.sfigf.com/
Pantone link again:
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20367&ca=4