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Archived Color Tidbits

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I gave credit to you, Leatrice, for all the information I garnered and the workshop. And coupled with my good  eye for photos, it was a succinct and stimulating class for those people."

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Welcome to our brand new blog.  It’s all about keeping you current on:

• Color News and Views
• Color Trends
• Color Factoids
• Color Perceptions
• Color Facts (or Fiction)

….as well as quotable quotes from our colorful leader and color expert, Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman.

Lee has written seven books on color.  She is the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, the director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and a color/design consultant to many industries.  Fortune Magazine has named her as one of the 10 top decision makers for her work in color and she is widely quoted in the media.

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Color Messages & Meanings:
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The Color Answer Book

Colors For Your Every Mood

Discover more about Lee's color concepts and training opportunities at
ColorExpert.com
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Dear Color Lovers,
Just a reminder that when viewing colors online the computer monitor colors may vary. Thank hue for your understanding. Enjoy.

 

February 18, 2009

Excerpt from
PANTONE Fashion Color Report,
Volume 31, February 2009. Pantone, Inc.


PANTONE®fashionCOLORREPORTfall2009

A Study in Contrasts NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
The psychology of color and world events plays into deigner choices.



Subtle contrasts, like those found in a painter’s masterpiece, make up the diverse color palette for fall 2009. Designers play with a broad spectrum of unique color combinations this season, resulting in distinct, yet cohesive color palettes.

“The fall 2009 palette is more unique and thoughtful than the typical autumnal hues of years past,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Designers recognize the desire for fundamental basics that speak to current economic conditions, but also understand the need to incorporate vibrant color to grab the consumers’ eyes and entice them to buy.”

A natural choice during uncertain times, patriotic American Beauty, a wonderfully balanced, true red, speaks to the need for cohesiveness. Perfect for all skin tones, American Beauty is a feel-good color. Purple Heart connotes a sense of refinement and sensuality, adding an air of creativity and excitement to the top 10, especially when paired with American Beauty.

A warmer, more subdued Honey Yellow carries the 2009 color of the year, PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa, through to fall and winter with its golden tones. Pairing Honey Yellow with its color wheel opposite, Purple Heart, will surely add a surprising flair. Or, for a more typical fall combination, group Honey Yellow with Burnt Sienna and Iron.

Strong yet understated Iron serves as the “new black,” making traditional basics much more interesting. Neither gray nor brown, Iron is a grounding color that coordinates well with all colors in the palette. Crème Brûlée, a grayed-down beige, and Nomad, which bridges the gap between beige and light gray, also speak to the need for timeless neutrals. All three classics can stand alone or serve as anchors when paired with other colors.

Fall would not be complete without a seasonal favorite like Burnt Sienna, a deepened, earthy shade of orange, reminiscent of an autumn sunset. Pair this versatile hue with Nomad and Rapture Rose for a different twist.

Adding spark to the fall palette, Rapture Rose artfully captures the vibrancy of fuchsia and the softness of pink. Under scored by nurturing and feminine tones, the addition of Rapture Rose enlivens the more traditionally subdued fall hues. Look for it in cosmetics as well as clothing and accessories. Like the olive in a martini, Warm Olive, a rich yellow-green, adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to fall. When combined, this tangy, intriguing hue makes all other colors come alive. Look for it paired with Majolica Blue, a deep, mysterious teal blue with more vibrancy than the usual navy. Majolica Blue brings an exotic flair to the group, especially when paired with Burnt Sienna or Purple Heart.

Each season, Pantone surveys the designers of New York Fashion Week to identify the 10 most directional colors. Like a painter’s palette, fall 2009 offers choice and diversity, but the unique integration of colors is what makes it
so appealing.

COLOR ADVICE

“Don’t shy away from color. Color
is not only a great and budget-
conscious way to update your
wardrobe, it is a wonderful pick-me-
up. A couple of tips to keep in mind
when shopping for color:

• Color reads best in quality fabrics,
hues appear richer and more
vibrant in fine wools, cottons and
silks. I am a firm believer that if you
invest in a few good pieces now,
you will benefit for years to come.

• Be mindful when choosing color.
You can’t just admire the color of
a garment on a hanger or on your
friend, the color must be right for
you. Your skin-tone and hair color
both come into play. If you like a
color and you are unsure, my
advice —try it on!”

Tim Gunn

 

 

 

 

February 10, 2009

Woman's Day
Excerpt from Live Well
by Gretchen Roberts

How to find your perfect red

Wearing red boosts your mood instantly because it's energizing and commands attention. If you aren't bold enough to wear it but still want an emotional pick-me-up, try a subtler shade in the same color family, suggests Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of More Alive With Color.

Excerpt from
More Alive With Color
pp 129 & 130
by Leatrice Eiseman


YOUR CREATIVE ENERGIES AND COLOR

In this chapter, you'll find out more about your color preferences. It's only natural for you to like some individual colors in your Colortime® palette much more than others. Luckily, if you realy dislike a color, it probably won't be in your Colortime®. Though every color family appears in each Colortime®, the intensities and values vary, and you're bound to have different emotional responses.

 

YOUR CREATIVE ENERGIES AND COLOR

That's why I always listen carefully to each client and try to determine his or her orientation to different colors before making recommendations. Unfortunately, I can't be with you personally, but I can share certain universal concepts to make some useful observations about your personal color choices.

Please remember that your likes and dislikes can change during different periods of your life. Your responses simply tell you where you are in your life right now. Your preferences may also indicate some of your secret desires. For example, red is considered the most ardent and passionate of all colors. You may not see yourself as ardent or passionate, but if red is your favorite color, maybe you have hidden traits just dying to be expressed (you little devil!)

 

Red

LIKE:

Just as red sits on top of the rainbow, you like to stay on top of things. You have a zest for life. Remember that red can speed up the pulse, increase the respiration rate, and raise blood pressure. It is associated with fire, heat, and blood, so it is impossible to ignore. And so are you (would like to be). You are high maintenance and high profile, a mover and a shaker.

The key words associated with red are winner, achiever, intense, impulsive, active, competitive, daring , aggressive. Red people are exciting, animated, optimistic, emotional and extroverted. Desire is the key word (see "ardent" and passionate" above), so you hunger for fullness of experience and living. Red is a force to be reckoned with and is always up for adventure. Your passion is infectious.

Now that you have all the good news, let's hear it for the bad news. Since you crave so much excitement in your life, routine can drive you nuts. Restlessness can make you fickle in your pursuit of new things to turn you on. It's hard for you to be objective, and you can be opinionated and overbearing. You have a tendency to listen to what others tell you and then do whatever you please. Patience is not one of your virtues. If you're unhappy about something watch out!

DISLKE:

Since red is primarily associated with a zest for life, excitement, and passion, disliking this hue could mean that these feelings are a bit much for you to handle at this point in your life. Perhaps you are bothered by the aggressiveness and intensity that red signifies. Or perhaps you really want more fulfillment but are afraid to get involved. People who are irritable, ill exhausted, or bothered by many problems often reject red and turn to the calmer colors for rest and relaxation. They are very self-protective.

 

 

TD Monthly is a newsletter to retailers
by Alison Marek

 

"Pop" Toys Out

"Although conventional wisdom states that neutral backgrounds are best for
display areas, conventional wisdom is not always wise," says Lee Eiseman,
leading color consultant, author and speaker for business, in her book
Color: Messages and Meanings.  "Don't underestimate the impact of darker or
more vibrant color as background to make the merchandise 'pop'.  And the
space doesn't have to be large to have a visual impact. Even the smallest
area will benefit from colorful backgrounds as they will always draw the
customer's eye."

 

 

Excerpt from
Earnshaw's
by Nicole Yee

Catch Them If You Can

Like their adult counterparts, celebrity kids serve as the touchstone for what's hip. Here's a look a t what some of the most fashionable tots will be wearing next spring.

     
Misha Lulu                            Tutto Piccolo

Anime represents the spontaneity and free spirit of kids," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "It's not about matching; it's about expression. " For Spring, Pantone reports anime as a leading trend that revels in clashing colors.

Eiseman reported that Pantone has named one of the spring color trends "honest," a family that includes soft, natural colors with some of the pink and red accents. "It's all about vegetable dyes, non-chemicals and recycling." she stressed.

 

 

February 3, 2009

Can Blue-Colored Light Prevent Suicide?
© 2008, The Yomiuri Shimbun.

An intriguing, anecdotal finding was recently reported by some news outlets that the implementation of blue-colored streetlights has reduced both crime and suicides:

Glasgow, Scotland, introduced blue street lighting to improve the city’s landscape in 2000. Afterward, the number of crimes in areas illuminated in blue noticeably decreased.

The Nara, Japan, prefectural police set up blue streetlights in the prefecture in 2005, and found the number of crimes decreased by about 9 percent in blue-illuminated neighborhoods. Many other areas nationwide have followed suit.

Keihin Electric Express Railway Co. changed the color of eight lights on the ends of platforms at Gumyoji Station in Yokohama, Japan, in February.

Since the railway company introduced the new blue lights, they’ve had no new suicide attempts.
This effect may be attributed to a few possible reasons (some of which are mentioned in the comments section of the article):

• The light color is new and unusual, causing people to act more cautiously in the area (as a person is unsure what to expect in the unusually-lit area).

• Blue is a light color almost universally associated with a police presence, suggesting it is an area of stricter law enforcement.

In fact, the article quotes from a professor at the end, noting it may just be an “unusualness effect:”
Prof. Tsuneo Suzuki at Keio University said: “There are a number of pieces of data to prove blue has a calming effect upon people. However, it’s an unusual color for lighting, so people may just feel like avoiding standing out by committing crimes or suicide under such unusual illumination. It’s a little risky to believe that the color of lighting can prevent anything.”

There is a lot of research into the psychology of color, but not as much has looked into the color of blue illumination itself (as opposed to the color of an object or wall). But some research looking into short wavelength light (blue) has demonstrated that it is a potentially effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (a seasonal type of depression; see for instance, Glickman, et al., 2006), and helps to reduce the stress response in fish (it hasn’t been yet tested on humans).

If this finding is robust and the behavior change associated with it is still prevalent a few years from now (when everyone has become accustomed to the new light color), it would be an interesting finding. A simple, inexpensive change might be effective in helping reduce at least one method of suicide (and reduce crime to boot).

 

February 2, 2009

Blue Packaging

         

Lees recent reply to a blog about untrue urban legends that appeared on a blog -

"In a recent blog I read that blue should never be used for food products or
packaging or advertising that involved food.  That is an outmoded concept
and here is part of my response to the well-meaning but misinformed person
who was using old, outdated information":

Thank you for spreading the word about color. One area of disagreement
though is that the comment about blue and food is no longer true, for
example, in packaging for a product that you would want to imply is very
cold and fresh out of the ocean, blue would be an excellent choice. Blue is
connected with frigid temperature (as in icy blues). There are also blue
potatoes now, blue corn chips, blue M&Ms as well as berry flavored yogurts
that appear to be blue in the container as the yogurt is tinged with the
flavor. I have done considerable research on color word associations and
have inserted them in many of my books, two of the most recent being
The Pantone Guide to Communicating and Color and Color Messages and Meanings.

            

 

 

January 26, 2009

The Moment l Women's Fashion
Excerpt from Bright Idea l The Gap and Pantone T-Shop
By Bee-Shyuan Chang

 

Bright Idea | The Gap and Pantone T-Shop
The Gap's flagship store in New York

The Gap designer Patrick Robinson has one antidote to the winter blues: a limited-edition line of T-shirts designed in collaboration with Pantone, the fashion industry’s color authority.

The Moment: We’ve been seeing a lot of black on the runways lately — what made you go against the tide and opt for color instead?

Patrick Robinson: At the last show, the word “optimistic” was in the air. We’re all about optimism, and there is no better way to show that than in color.

The Moment: Painters use their palette to convey a mood. Do you think there are mood-enhancing or, even better, anti-recessionist colors in the T-Shop?

Patrick Robinson: We were studying Mimosa, Pantone’s color of the year, and what turns me on about this yellow is that it speaks of enlightenment. It’s also supposed to spark imagination and innovation, and that’s kind of amazing that color evokes that kind of emotion in people.

The Moment: With financial news leaving us in the dark, a bright spot of color goes a long way. Do you think we’ll start to see more color in stores and on the runways?

Patrick Robinson: I do think people do interesting things in tough times. In recessions, people actually get healthier. They start taking care of themselves better, and that’s the mind-set we get into here [at the Gap] when we think about people, color and clothes. People are going to do the opposite and not be in mourning, and they’ll want to be fresh and the more they are thinking about taking care of themselves, and not only thinking of money, that sense of optimism rebalances your life.

 

Pantone Selects Color of the Year 2009

On Dec 3, Pantone selected Mimosa for the color of 2009 because economic times are hard and Mimosa is bright with warmth and cheers people up.  The color of Mimosa is like a type of yellow.  

I was surprised when the color of the year was Mimosa because I never knew that they would even come up with that idea.  But in the end I thought it was a very good choice, because it really does cheer people up.

I chose this article because we have a friend who works at Pantone.  This is an important topic to discuss because Mimosa is the color of the year for everyone and this color will be mostly in stores.  

This article relates to me because of all the  people are going through rough times and we all need a nice color to cheer us up for the year and the holidays.

Sarah is a 10-year-old who recently wrote the above about Mimosa for her current events assignment at school.  We hope you enjoyed it.

An excerpt from Lee's book The Color Answer Book

...most people associate yellow with sunshine, warmth, and cheer, and it is a mood enhancer, rather than a source of irritation. I have recommended yellow as a wonderful substitute for sunshine in geographic areas where there isn't a lot of sun in winter. I have used the happy hue in my own home in the Northwest for just that reason and have always had positive response to the color from friends an visitors.

So, if ou love the idea of a delicious buttery yellow surrounding you and your family, by all means use it and see how sunny your dispositions will be!!

http://colorexpert.com/coloranswerbook.html

 

 

The Boston Globe
HOME / NEWS / SCIENCE
NEUROSCIENTIST BEVIL CONWAY | MEETING THE MINDS
Artist's vision: Decode color perception
By Billy Baker
Globe Correspondent

Harvard neuroscientist Bevil Conway, holding a glass box he designed, is looking for the neural basis of our reaction to color. (Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

 

Bevil Conway, an artist turned neuroscientist, was sitting in front of a laptop computer recently at Harvard Medical School showing off one of his latest discoveries. Small squares of color flashed rapidly on the screen - red, yellow, green - until suddenly, as the screen showed a square of deep purple, the computer's speakers crackled with electrical static.

If you ask why an artist would delve into the labyrinthine, and largely unknown, workings of the
brain, the look of satisfaction on Conway's face as he leaned back in his chair said it all. The static on the
speakers is the electrical signal recorded from a single neuron in a monkey's brain, a neuron that only turned on when the monkey was shown deep purple on a monitor.

"When you discover something new about the brain, it's intoxicating," said Conway. "That's the first deep purple recording in history. Philosophers have been arguing for hundreds of years whether color is encoded in the brain or is external. What's amazing is that this is in a monkey. They don't have language.

When I learn something like this, I get the same feeling as when I make a painting that does something that would never have been done if I weren't around."

Conway, 34, a native of Zimbabwe who is an assistant professor at Wellesley College and a visiting scientist at Harvard Medical School, started out as a visual artist. In exploring the techniques of art - why certain color combinations work; why line drawings are effective even though they have no external basis in nature; how movement can be conveyed in a two-dimensional media - he found a desire to understand the way vision and perception work in the brain itself.

He was accepted into a neuroscience program at Harvard in 1996, but his graduate career got off to a rocky start when he told his advisers that he wanted to take art and architecture classes as well. "There was an audible gasp in the room," he remembers. "Someone told me, 'You're not here to paint.' "

But his goal was to understand vision and perception, and Conway felt that you had to go at the mystery from both sides of the campus, and, as it were, both sides of the brain. And it is this dual approach that, his champions in neuroscience say, has allowed him to breathe some new ways of thinking into the field.

"He has a deep understanding of our vision from the fact that he's an artist," said Jay Neitz, a neuroscientist at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "A normal person who's never thought how our vision is operating on a scene would never ask the kinds of questions he does. He's brought a novel and creative way to think about how the brain is breaking down information into a code that we can use."

In 2004, Conway's novel approach kicked up a storm in both the art and neuroscience worlds when he and Margaret Livingstone, a Harvard neurobiologist, published a controversial paper that said Rembrandt was "walleyed" because his eyes pointed away from each other in self-portraits. They argued that the
condition, which Conway himself has and leads to poor stereo vision, may have helped the Dutch master to powerfully render a three-dimensional world in two dimensions.

At the moment, Conway, who still spends half his time making art at his Cambridge studio, is fixated on color. Many artists go through such phases - Picasso's famous "blue period" was followed by his "rose period" - but Conway is going deeper. He's looking for the neural basis of color, the answer to how it happens in the brain.

By studying the behavior of Castor and Pollux, his two monkeys, he's made an argument that color, which is accessible only through vision, is encoded into the brain. He's found that not only are certain cells designated to respond to certain colors, but that those cells usually form in clusters. Within that, he's found that the cell population is biased - the largest population cares about red, followed by green then blue.

Conway says the goal of his neuroscience is not to make himself a better artist, but it has changed his art in subtle ways and has prompted him to observe himself in the act of creation, asking himself why he makes certain choices. "If you look historically, every artist comes up with a theory as to why what they're doing works or doesn't work," he said. "Picasso wrote voluminously about it. Kandinsky had theories about color. DaVinci really wanted to understand the mechanisms of vision.

"I'm interested in how we see and how we make images that are effective. When I see something, I want to know what's going on in my head. Doesn't it make sense to probe why?"

 

January 15, 2009

Excerpt from
Cosmopolitan
Fashion & Beauty

Get luscious lips
 

“Colors that remind us of foods at their peak of ripeness stimulate the senses on a number of levels,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, author of More Alive With Color.

A TASTE OF GRAPE
Of all the fruity hues, grape is the most mysterious, according to Eiseman. "It has a darkness to it that can be incredibly exotic and intriguing," she points out.

VERY BERRY
Tropical-berry pink looks pretty without trying too hard. “Guys love it, because the color isn't intimidating,” says Eiseman.

WILD WITH CHERRY
Cherries are the happy fruit—we associate their ultrabright red hue with energy, passion, and liveliness. “It's one of the most upbeat colors out there,” says Eiseman.

January 15, 2009


Excerpt from
SheKnows.com
by Kori Ellis


Why doesn't this lipstick color look good on me?

LOVE LIPSTICK? GET
THE RIGHT COLOR





It happens to all of us. You spend an hour at the store, glancing over every
lipstick color, every shade, and every texture, only to bring it home and
discover... well, it just doesn't look right. Elke Von Freudenberg, editorial
makeup artist and hair stylist, shares with us the secret to finding the right
shade.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE UNDERTONE COLOR

Why doesn't lipstick look good on you, the same way it does in the tube? It's usually not
the color that you saw in the tube that looks bad (otherwise, you wouldn't have bought it!),
but the underlying or undertone color in the lipstick that shows its true colors after you've
applied it.

How can you tell what your undertone color is? Run a tester lipstick onto a piece of white
paper (we do this for photo shoots all the time to find the right color, because on film,
those undertones can seem off), and look: What color do you see besides the main shade?
It's easier to see on white paper, but harder to see on skin tone... until it's too late.
What are you looking for? For example, let's take your favorite brown-toned lipstick.

The basic lipstick undertones that you might see would be:

RED/PINK
Makes the color seem warmer, but harder and deeper as well. Can also bring
out all the red tones in your skin as well, so be careful!

YELLOW/ORANGE
Makes the color warmer, and softer. Looks great on warm skin tones, but if
you're really pale, can bring out the green/blue undertones in your skin. To be
on the safe side, go towards the yellow side, rather than the orange. Too much
orange can make skin look gray and sluggish.

GREEN/BLUE
A way to make a lipstick more dramatic -- deeper. Try to stay clear of these if
possible, they can make you look like you're still standing under fluorescent
lighting.

SILVER/GRAY
Adds shimmer, softness, depth. Easy to spot in those light shimmer lipsticks
that are so popular now. Adds light and softness to the lipstick, just make sure
that it's not too much on the blue/gray side. Can make those under eye circles
stand out.

GREEN
Huh? Green? Yep, sometimes. The trendy colors have them, and it's usually
paired with a yellow tone as well. You'll look cool and hip, but you'll also feel as if you need more
color on your face. (Hint: that's why the big blush trend is also prevalent... just check out the lip
color!)

THE LIPSTICK RULE

Whatever skin color you have that you don't like (like blue or gray under eye circles, redness, pink, etc.), try
not to copy in your lipstick color or undertone as well. It's like wearing a red dress with sunburn -- it just
makes the problem appear worse than it is.

Kori Ellis is an editor and writer based in San Antonio, TX, where she lives with her husband and two labs,
Yogi and Deuce. At SheKnows, she contributes articles to the Beauty & Style and Food & Cooking channels.
Additionally, Kori has been published in dozens of magazines, newspapers and websites worldwide, writing
about everything from wedding planning to fantasy sports.

To learn more about your personal colors and style and to transform the way you look visit Lee's other site More Alive With Color.com! Her online Image Colortime Training can enhance your image consulting business or get you started in the world of image consulting. Enjoy the Visit to More Alive With Color.com!

January 13, 2009

Excerpt from Color Your World
Midwest Home
BY SARAH MORAN

A guide to picking the perfect colors for your mood

The walls of this Wayzata living room are a cool shade of Laguna Beach green sprinkled with a sandy tan that reminds the owner of the Caribbean, where her family has vacationed often. With walls dressed in a warm sandy hue with a terra cotta glaze, the bright kitchen evokes the Southwest. Tiles in shades of sapphire, boysenberry, and sea green form the backsplash, and a dusky sunrise stretches across the ceiling. In the owner’s bedroom, leopard print carpet from Spain greets your feet, Chinese red molding outlines the room, and vibrant paisley print fabric dances across the walls.

“I put my personal stamp on everything,” the homeowner says. “The colors make me feel happy. It’s self-expression to create a warm, happy environment to come home to.”

Our reaction to colors are indeed personal, design and color experts agree. That’s why it’s important to do some internal investigation to determine which colors make you feel best and then use them to create a true sanctuary in your home. Using color randomly can muddle its impact and even make you feel uneasy. Likewise, lack of color can leave you feeling cold or flat.
 
Uncover your hue

Reaction to color is often influenced by childhood, explains Seattle-based color consultant and author Leatrice Eiseman.

Finding colors that resonate with you can be as easy as following your gaze in the paint store, Eiseman says. If your eyes float immediately toward blues, that may be a sign that you’re emotionally attracted to water or another “blue” element. For most people, though, this takes time and reflection. “Nobody else can climb inside your head,” Eiseman says.

To start, look for color repetition around your home and in your wardrobe. “If it’s repeated in your home, you already have a predisposition to like it,” she says. “You can feel fairly confident that it does resonate with you.”

Notice how you feel when you walk into rooms or flip through catalogs and magazines. Think about what certain color schemes remind you of. Products aimed at helping you choose colors may be nothing more than gimmicks, Eiseman says. However, you may find designers, color classes, and books to be helpful guides.

 

From Wikipedia:

In psychology, the Stroop effect is a demonstration of interference in the reaction time of a task. When a word such as blue, green, red, etc. is printed in a color differing from the color expressed by the word's semantic meaning (e.g. the word "red" printed in blue ink), naming the color of the word takes longer and is more prone to errors than when the meaning of the word is congruent with its ink color. The effect is named after John Ridley Stroop who first published the effect in English in 1935. The effect had previously been published in 1929, but only in German. The original paper has been one of the most cited papers in the history of experimental psychology, leading to over 700 replications.

The effect has been used to create a psychological test which is widely used in clinical practice and investigation. The test has also been further modified to investigate very different phenomena.

 

 

January 6, 2009

Excerpt from the 2008 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report
WILMINGTON, Del., Dec. 9, 2008

White Is Most Popular Color – Again –
in 56th DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report
“Conservative Differentiation” Among Consumers May Be Sign of the Times

The 2008 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report says white is the top vehicle color choice in North America for the second straight year, and is a strong player globally, with “white effects” allowing consumers to differentiate cars subtly to express their individuality. Black and silver with effects also turned in a strong performance globally. The term “effects” refers to special pigments that lend a pearl or iridescent appearance to coatings.

White and white pearl scored 16 and 4 percent, respectively, black and black effect scored 11 percent and 6 percent, while silver, which led the pack for six consecutive years, garnered a 17 percent share of the North American market.

North American color choice highlights several trends. First, there is a continuing convergence of color choice globally with color preferences becoming more homogeneous across the globe. Additionally, DuPont continues to report white as a “palette cleansing” color signaling a pause after a long running trend and in advance of a new trend. The 2007 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report
announced the end of silver’s seven year reign.

“While black, white and silver continue to remain strong, we are seeing interesting trends developing,” Surcina continued. “The popularity of true chromatic colors such as blue and red are on the rise, with blue growing worldwide as consumers look to more environmental themes and lifestyles.”

“Blue is being utilized as the “new green” because it is well understood by people all over the world that blue can also represent the preservation of nature,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Color: Messages and Meanings. “Imagine a clear blue sky mirrored in a pristine blue lake and you will get the picture. It is a universal favorite.”

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