Expert Advice from a Color Consultant
It's not hard
to persuade a designer that color matters. But
persuading Fortune 500 companies? You might be
surprised. Color consultant Leatrice Eiseman has
carved out a major career in helping companies
"make correct choices in colors that sell."
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"Color
trends should never replace the inherent
ability of a designer to create color combinations,
but simply provide a jump start to their
own fertile imaginations and to demonstrate
that they are 'on top of' trends." |
Leatrice
Eiseman, Color Consultant |
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Author of The
Color Answer Book, Colors for Every Mood, and the Pantone Guide to Communicating
with Color, Leatrice jets around the country
consulting with businesses on color strategy,
forecasting color trends, and raising the profile
of color in general. Scott Chappell cornered her
with some questions.
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Leatrice
Eiseman |
Q: In your seminars you talk a
lot about the psychological and emotional aspects of color.
Do you think the meaning and psychology of color is a
learned behavior or are we genetically predisposed to
have specific responses to different colors?
Leatrice: Both of the above!
Most of our response to color is learned through our cultural
background--however, there is evidence that points to
a collective memory or prehensile retention that creates
more than a psychological effect. For example, how
can we not respond to red? Our eye is inevitably
drawn to it as it represents symbolically fire and bloodshed--warning
signals that humans have always responded to. That is
stored in the memory bank, and passed on from generation
to generation, so that today red creates a physiological
effect of increased adrenalin flow, a quickening of heart
rate and pulse.
Q: Where should decisions about color palette
occur in the design process?
Leatrice: Way up at the top.
I believe that the essential design should come first
and then the appropriate color is selected.
Q: We couldn't
agree more, but clients can be hard to convince. What
are some resources that a professional designer can use
to support or sell their color decisions?
Leatrice: I think it
is important to use credible resources like myself (she
says modestly) and especially books that help to support
choices. My book, the Pantone Guide to Communicating
with Color (Grafix Press) contains credible information
that can help to substantiate color combinations and explain
the psychology behind each color family. It is important
to make that kind of reasoning part of the rationale when
delivering to a client. That always helps to make a stronger
case. There is also a chapter on where and how to look
for trends that would be helpful in answering the first
question posed above.
Q: Can you tell us about the process of
color forecasting? Who decides what the "in"
colors will be? And how do they decide?
Leatrice: Essentially this
is done by color forecasting "experts" (such
as me) who belong and contribute to color forecasting
groups such as the Color Marketing Group or the Pantone
View Color Planner. I also do a home furnishings
forecast that can be translated into usage by the graphics
industry. This is available on the Pantone Web site (http://www.pantone.com)
under "fashion and architecture".
Q: Are color trends medium-dependent?
If you consider the visual communications like Web and
television and print, and consumer goods like cars and
clothing and television--what is it that makes colors
more "relevant" or "appropriate"...or
just "work" in one medium and not in another?
Leatrice: I find that
there is a bigger crossover than one might think. The
only real issue is visual contrast as on the Web and in
print, legibility and visibility is of major importance.
But the forecasts can be used as a guideline. As I state
in my talks to graphics and print people, color trends
should never replace the inherent ability of a designer
to create color combinations, but simply provide a jump
start to their own fertile imaginations and to demonstrate
that they are "on top of" trends. It also
helps to refresh one's work or concepts.
Q: Can color trends only be validated by established
brands? Is there significant risk to being ahead
of the color trend curve if a business does not have a
well-established product or identity?
Leatrice: Yes, there
is a risk in being ahead of the curve. On the other
hand, the innovative use of color might be just the thing
to create more attention to your brand. And it can certainly
earn more attention in the press for the brand.
Even though Apple was widely known, they took a step way
ahead of anyone else in the computer world when they introduced
the iMac. They will never sell as much as the PC
makers, but they earned more market share when they introduced
their colors. |
