Clariant releases colour forecasting guide for plastics industry

Clariant has announced the release of ColorForward 2020, its 14th edition of the annual colour forecasting guide for the plastics industry.

As they have every year since 2006, an international team of Clariant specialists came together for a week-long series of creative exercises in Singapore aimed at defining four global trend themes that can be expected to influence consumers in the near and mid-term future, and selecting colours or colour combinations that evoke an emotional response related to each trend. The result is a unique tool that can be used to help plastic product designers and marketing professionals make more informed colour choices.

While consumer preferences have been trending toward warmer tones in recent years, Clariant colour-trend watchers see a shift to cooler blues and greens in the palette they developed for 2020. In fact, of the 20 colours in the latest edition of ColorForward, five are different shades of green. “Some are genuine and natural looking, while others seem more artificial or ‘digital’”, the company informed.

“That doesn’t mean the 2020 trend colours don’t include some warmth,” said Ms. Judith van Vliet, ColorWorks Designer and a leader of the ColorForward team. “There are a range of reds, yellows and even a couple of oranges. These tend to be bright and, in many cases translucent or tuned up with special effect pigments,” she said.