ColorFutures™ is a major initiative by ICI Paints to forecast international trends in color and lifestyle one year in advance.

To create the annual forecasts, ICI Paints uses its global reach to bring together a group of international colour experts. This team draws upon a variety of sources: from research groups, colour marketing associations, exhibitions and design influences from the worlds of fashion, technology, architecture, music, nature and popular culture.

The ColorFutures™ team predicts color in two ways - Color Families and key Lifestyle Themes. The Color Themes for 2008 are provided below.

Color of the Year 2008

Yellow is a color long associated with opposing concepts– oriental and occidental, contemporary and traditional, spiritual and intellectual. It transcends national cultures and preferences in its ability to communicate optimism, respect, radiance and wellbeing.

More than any other hue, it has the ability to convey a mood of warmth, sociability and welcome.

Growing Respect

We live in restless times - confronted by growing pressures of a complex world, we yearn for a time when life was simpler and communities were supportive and sustainable.

This sense of responsible simplicity and respect is reflected in a palette that balances the weather mid-tones of bark, shale, rust and mustard with the paler botanical shades of pollen, apple and moss.

Ebb and Flow

This theme is inspired by the molecular aspects of water in terms of its movement, colour and reflectivity and its ability to carve out organic forms of great sculptural complexity and beauty.

These shades are both ultra contemporary and timeless – a layering of tones and hues that allow our imagination to swim free.

Art Form

This theme is inspired by the Modernist movement of the last century and Bauhaus in particular.

Warm dusty greys are offset by hints of yellow – lemon, mustard and mimosa. Their use is disciplined and the overall effect is one of seamless, open and welcoming simplicity that offers a visually challenging concept of stillness.

Hidden Beauty

The expression of this theme is refined and restrained, respecting natural forms and materials but always imbued with an allure of feminine beauty

Skintones, nude pinks and rich browns give a new take on the neutral palette that can been livened and enriched by the use of beading, braiding and embossing.

Explorer

This is about travel to collect experience not banal tourism; a blend of different cultures which, like fusion music, give a new perspective; a youthful adventure to 'capture the moment'.

The palette perfectly captures this diverse mixture of influences; sometimes plastic, sometimes natural, sometimes chalky - it is used with a sense of joyous abandon without due concern as to whether the combinations are 'tasteful' or not.