STIR: How and where do you find inspiration for trend colors, especially as it relates to your area of expertise?

Jackie L. Jordan, director of Color Marketing: Inspiration for color trends and forecasts is gleaned from a variety of resources — the media; fashion; trend spotters; the Internet; travel; and forecast organizations that we belong to, such as the Color Marketing Group. Design trade shows around the globe also provide great insight into what might be emerging in the marketplace as new or evolving.

Christie L. Del Ciotto, designer marketing manager, Eastern Division: Inspiration comes at the most unexpected times and, predominantly, when one isn’t even looking for it. Personally, inspiration is an “aha” moment in my brain when I look at something and a plethora of ideas are immediately generated. I find myself intrigued by an object, pattern or combination of items, and I’m generating questions faster than I’m coming up with answers. At this point, I realize I’ve embarked on something unique and begin to manipulate it to see what else it can produce. For example, place together different objects, colors and textures to create completely new combinations of color and texture. My area of expertise is Designer Marketing. I find that surrounding myself with the same goods and resources as my clients better enables me to work with the “tools” in their toolbox. I’m a firm believer that everyone can look at the same object and have a completely different perception; therefore, my inspiration is just another point of view.

Carol B. Derov, manager of Store Services, Global Color and Design Marketing, International Division: All of my color inspiration comes from the research I automatically engage in on a 24/7 basis — I‘m continually gathering photographs, foreign magazines, books and marketing materials; shopping; and fashion-watching wherever I travel for business. I only work outside the U.S. and Canada, with my region of responsibility encompassing the entire Latin American area. This includes Mexico, Central America and South America, with an emphasis on those countries where we have subsidiaries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. I also support our business in other global regions, so I utilize that information in the “mix” as well.

Becky Ralich Spak, director of Color Marketing Services: Inspiration is as personalized and subjective as the individual. For me, it is an acute awareness of my surroundings by observing, gathering and making mental notes. Take for instance the following scenarios: I see an animated movie and make a mental note of the color(s) of the characters; while perusing a fashion magazine, a haute couture accessory catches my eye and I note the color, pattern and combination of materials used; while watching the evening news, I notice the color of the newscaster’s tie; an ethnic-inspired recipe with an unusual spice or vegetable creates within me an awareness of color. My mind is observing everyday influences and cataloging them in such a way that a common thread begins to emerge. Armed with this plethora of mental images, I begin to develop my color story.

Christy Almond, operating vice president, Design and Merchandising, The Robert Allen Group: Everywhere! Fashion is certainly a big influence, although not the only one. Art, photography, movies, books and travel are other key resources. I’m fortunate to live and work in the New York City area, where great inspirational resources are all around. I also take time to study past color trends and carefully monitor how they evolve through the spectrum.

STIR: What impact do your findings have on the other members of the team — do you find lots of commonality in your findings or do you have to reconcile disparities?

Jordan: For the most part we find more commonalities than disparities. Those commonalities are what ultimately guide us to a consolidation of information that is then interpreted into the color forecast for the coming months. There is the occasional disparity on which exact hues will be showcased, but the forecast we finalize is based on the research that best supports the colors we showcase.

Del Ciotto: Our ideas are like the varying degrees of paint colors on a paint strip — there’s a common theme that unites them, but we each have a different twist on the topic. The benefit is it enables us to validate our ideas and offer a more cohesive and realistic trend forecast. When we begin the collaboration process, we have no idea what the team member to the left or right of us will present; but at the end of our sequestered meetings, we’re able to walk away with a formulated palette representing our validated ideas. The final trend palette is a beautiful culmination to a few days of a painstaking elimination process.

Derov: We do work as a team when determining the final color palette. As we each share our particular findings, we usually find that there’s a great deal of commonality — a surprising amount, actually! There may be discussions regarding specific hues, but in general, there seems to be consensus on the influences we pinpoint.

Ralich Spak: There are commonalities, but what I find most interesting is that each individual brings a unique perspective to what they observe. For some it’s about color(s); for others it’s about specific color combinations. Another individual might bring the details of pattern, texture and craftsmanship, which play a key role in creating the “hows” and “whys” of color. All travel becomes relevant to our story, whether on a local, regional or global level.

Almond: There are definite directional commonalities shared by the group, since we generally look to the same types of resources for inspiration. The differences come in selecting the right nuances within a color. These differences cause one shade to work for one industry, but not for another. It’s so interesting to hear from different areas, and to learn that there are many “right” answers. The challenge is synthesizing all the information into one forecast which makes sense directionally across the board.

STIR: What are some of the most interesting, odd or surprising influences for color inspiration that you encountered in putting together this year’s forecast?

Jordan: Within the theme of rediscovery, where we took a look back in time to different cultures and ways of life, I found the most interesting influencers were those from the indigenous people of Africa, Australia and North America. Cultures that have a deeply rooted sense of who they are — their specific art, craft, fashion and ceremony. Although these people and tribes have very different cultural backgrounds, the colors were surprisingly similar, and that made it quite easy to finalize and find unending support for the rooted palette.

Del Ciotto: After being a member of this team for quite a few years, one begins to anticipate the major forecasted themes, since they don’t change drastically from year to year. However, our 2010 palette proved to be a resurgence, re-enforcement and rejuvenation of past trend palettes. Due to the major economic changes we’ve all encountered, the subtleties behind this year’s palettes come with a more “serious” tone. We, as consumers, understand the benefits of doing what’s best for our environment and for ourselves. Going green is now an integral process in our day-to-day endeavors. Personally, it hits home for me when my two toddlers make sure I’m recycling while disposing of the garbage! All in all, the messages are refined and simplistic … making it just a little easier to digest in the midst of all the economic confusion.

Derov: Probably the most surprising element was the influence from regions of the world that have not been prominent in the past. For instance, we’ve seen Africa before as an influence, but it seems to be continually evolving, with different areas and countries within the continent having more emphasis.

Ralich Spak: Even though the seriousness of the economy is a key influencing factor this year, there’s still a playful, whimsical, optimistic side to color. The bright, saturated hues are a counterbalance to the safe, neutral, grayed shades. The focus always returns to the discipline of creating a balance within our lives.

Almond: The surprise came from how numerous and how diverse the trends are this year. We all had so much interesting information to share. That’s why I think the 2010 palette is so rich with possibilities. In the end, there are four diverse mini-stories addressing such a wide range of design personalities. They look great individually and can be mixed and matched to expand the possibilities even more.

STIR: What part did current economic, social, cultural and even global issues play in this year’s color forecast?

Jordan: The current and future economic climate was one of the main drivers in the overall theme of rediscovery. Because all of us around the world have had to stop and re-evaluate what’s important to us — due to necessity or because it was the right thing to do —it has given us the opportunity to readjust, re-explore and re-appreciate simplicity, antiquity and the less than perfect, but also to remain optimistic about our future. Therefore, the colors have authenticity as well as a sense of spirit and freshness to take us into the next decade.

Del Ciotto: When this forecast was developed earlier this year, we were still in a range of uncertainty as to the future of our economic markets. The main word that comes to mind is “miserly,” meaning that most consumers are learning to live on less and with less, while at the same time, not sacrificing sophistication. This is reminiscent in our simplified palette — the hues are calm and subtle, yet have an aura of sophistication. Globally, we’re looking at new places for new ideas to help us with our miserliness. This is seen in our rooted palette, which is enabling us to introduce some new global color combinations that would not be commonly viewed in the United States. These issues play an important role in the overall forecast, as we continue to look at all areas of emergence when generating these forecasts.

Derov: Economics is a huge influence for the coming year. Globally, every country that I deal with has been affected to some degree by the financial troubles that began in the United States. We have seen a trend toward both a simplified color palette and a more joyous, colorful one — which I attribute to the differences between those who are carefully watching their funds and the smaller, but continuing, percentage of luxury-seeking consumers. In this view, the colors can also be tied to social issues, as levels of income and socialization in other countries influence the consumer’s color choices to some degree. Culture is definitely a huge influence in my world of color! Every country has its own palette of favorites, and within the various regions there are clearly defined popular colors. What this means for me is that I must do research not only for the individual country, but in different areas of that country. We may have one group of colors popular along a coastline or in a resort area, and another, totally different collection for a major city, such as Mexico City. In some locations, I may have three distinct color palettes within one country. What all this means for this year’s forecast is that there were an enormous amount of elements that had to be considered when building our “snapshot” of color for 2010!

Ralich Spak: The most interesting issue is the direct correlation between color and the global economy — the manner in which color is interpreted, marketed and accepted or rejected based on the global financial market.

Almond: Because the world was and has been experiencing shifts — not just economically, socially and culturally, but also through changing leadership — it has also resulted in some major shifts in design and color trends. This year, the changing world has provided an even wider range of influences impacting design. It’s a year of transition! Each story seems to reflect how we are choosing to deal with the changing world around us — whether it be holding onto the comforts of tradition or keeping focused on a more optimistic future. Color can be used to transform both a space and your mood.

STIR: How can designers use the current color trends to inspire their own creativity?

Jordan: We love to provide new avenues of exploration when we release our color trends to the design community. As full-time consultants and business people who spend a vast amount of time researching the appropriate products to recommend to their clients — along with the myriad other components of running a successful business — designers often do not have the time to spend on inspirational research or exploration. We hope that our color trends and the story that supports these trends help, in a small way, to fulfill this need. The colors we introduce are to be used as a starting point for combining and creating new palettes, or as a source of inspiration for one or two colors that speak to their style and can add a new twist or freshness to their designs.

Del Ciotto: These palettes are designed to inspire the residential designer with a starting point. We’ve highlighted certain colors that are indicative of the trends for 2010 and merely support additional themes presented in the marketplace by other manufacturers. The collaboration with Robert Allen has allowed us to expand our ideas and include more visuals that enable us to tell a complete story. The result of this partnership is sure to be a bestseller.

Derov: The information that we provide to the designer and architect community is just that — information. We offer these forecasts as a value-added service of our company in order to assist our clients in developing their own projects. I would say that when we identify a particular influence or collection of colors, we give designers food for thought — how does this relate to their customers? And by offering selected colors in groupings, we’ve already done some of the preliminary work for them. These colors can be combined in a multitude of ways to use for interiors and exteriors and even matching to other architectural elements, such as tile or textiles. The whole idea is to give our designer friends more color knowledge to stimulate their own ideas.

Ralich Spak: Our color trends offer a shared source of research gathered from a wide range of perspectives. Key words, phrases, concepts and imagery all unite in such a manner to spark and inspire creativity within the individual. By sharing these details, we provide designers with a heightened sense of awareness, enabling them to become more conscious of color and design trends as they move through their daily lives.

Almond: These trends are meant to be a launching point for a designer’s creative process. We all need inspiration from time to time, and this is the perfect tool for helping the designer feel inspired to try something new in their projects. And now with the Robert Allen and Sherwin- Williams partnership, they have even more inspirational resources and tools at their fingertips, enabling them to easily marry paint and fabrics to help their project’s vision come to life!

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