About 20 color experts convened in Pittsburgh, home of PPG Paints, earlier this month to choose the brand’s 2018 Color of the Year by analyzing trends across industries including automotive, consumer electronics, aerospace and home decorating. Their choice will be revealed later this year.
Among the color experts at the Global Color Trends workshop were PPG’s Dee Schlotter, Senior Color Marketing Manager; Alejandro Garcia, Senior Color Manager; Allison Heape, Color Design, Regional Group Leader; Beth Ramsey, Senior Marketing Manager, Color Strategy; Jane Harrington-Durst, Color Styling Manager; Irène Spéculante, Color Marketing Assistant; and Reiner Mueller-Koerber, Color Styling Manager.
Now in its eighth year (and its first in Pittsburgh), the workshop resulted in a number of color forecast insights: The experts found that “clean-cut” minimalism, Scandinavian, and stark whites-meet-primary colors are trending for 2018. The group also pinpointed a trend that “many are drawn to the deco-glam of darkened colors and blackened hues that showcase luxury, protection and privacy.”