Color/Design at a Crossroads




One of the presentations I always find crucial for trends in design and fashion, is the Pantone Color of the Year selection. Does this color ... Greenery ... which was announced toward the end of last year ... drive everyone or all design fields? Probably not ... but it makes you think of color combinations in new contexts and relevant compositions. The presenter was Lea Weiseman, the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. She covered three areas: Trends in design elements; Greenery, the Pantone Color of the Year; and a collection of color design palettes for Spring of 2017. I'll leave the Greenery and Palettes discussions for my next post and cover the design elements here ... in large part because I think these are more universal type inspirations
Trends in design elements and techniques are an ever evolving topic. Here we are talking in broad, general terms ... home interior design, fashion, tabletop, art, paper products and such. A few trends seem to be perennial, like use of retro design elements, recycled (new buzzword = "rescued") pieces and bold use of color.


How do these trends become "trends?" Pantone's color experts look backwards to forecast the future. Two reasons: early adopters are great sources of future mainstream design concepts; and when a color or palette is used in certain applications (kitchen, baby, movies, etc) these signal longevity of the trend.

One key area for forecasting in color are concept cars. Yes ... the auto industry! They may spend several years on a concept, including color analysis to show off the designs as futuristic and desirable.


Maps used in backgrounds and as centerpieces of designs is showing up everywhere. We love this, as we are well-stocked with ephemera and find that not only maps but written pages create great effects in art.



Black and White design for the primary imagery is still an important design element. Add a splash of bold color and this can have eye catching reactions.


Power Clash, or the use of colors in unusual combinations to grab attention.


Distortion ... digital or hand drawn ... can produce dramatic effects. Pixelation, swoops and smudges, melted and liquified.


Large Florals ... these have been around for a few years now, so do not overdo it.


Textural Surfaces ... physical texture as well as visual texture. Think metals and plaster. Textures can be natural, applied or manipulated. Use of etching, abrasion, hammering, overlay and embossing are all ways to gain the effect.

And I want to add one more super-duper color palette ... Nature ... She is hard to beat!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hi! I'm Buster Brown. I live in a shoe....

Image
Do you remember Buster Brown shoes? I do. I also remember watching the Buster Brown TV show ... Smilin' Ed's Gang and later Andy's Gang. The shoes were "special." Back in those days I went to Catholic school and the nun's required us to wear shoes ... I mean real shoes ... "oxfords" we called them. Mom bought us Buster Brown shoes 'cause they would last the whole year! The advertising line for Buster Brown was: Hi! I'm Buster Brown. I live in a shoe.  That's my dog Tige. He lives in there too! The Brown S hoe C ompany has been around for over 130 years. Today they also market Famous Footwear and Naturalizers, and they are a contract manufacturer for other shoe brands.  But they are most well-known for the Buster Brown line of shoes. In 190 2, cartoonist Richard Outcault introduced a new comic strip character, a mischievous little rich boy named Buster Brown and his dog Tige. Two years later, at the 1904 St. Louis W...
Read more

Old Lava Stone Church in Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii

Image
Christ Memorial Episcopal Church, Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii On our recent vacation to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, we stopped in to this wonderful old church. We had seen is many times, but this was the first time we stopped to look inside. Wow! The hand-carved altar and communion rail are gorgeous! The stained glass windows are equally as beautiful. The Christ Memorial Episcopal Church is located just off the main highway in the town of Kilauea. It is still an active mission church, with services on Sundays and Holy Days. According to the church's website: There is also an interesting history attached to the church itself. As early as 1888 worship services were held in Kilauea ... By 1924 the time had come for a permanent church in Kilauea ... In 1939 the Kilauea Sugar Company deeded the churchyard to Christ Memorial Church and gave the native stone used in the erection of the present building ... The graveyard surrounding the church dates back to the earliest days of ...
Read more

Rosaries, Prayer Books & Religious Medals

Image
It's the time of year when Christians, Catholics in particular, celebrate post Easter rituals like first communion and confirmation.  And June is known as weddings month!  At Vintages we always have a nice selection of vintage religious items like rosaries, medals of saints and the Holy Family, prayer books and pocket shrines.  Below is a sampling of what is currently available. Rosaries with beads of crystal, sterling silver, olive wood and molded glass.  We even have a few that have reliquaries included. Rosary cases, holy water fonts, little plaques with holy pictures and ecclesiastical sayings. Wonderful old miniature prayer books, first communion mementos, and a new testament bible from the early 1700s. Religious medals, pocket crucifixes and shrines.  In addition, we have a large selection of crosses.
Read more