Continuing the Color Conversation

Believing that "The Color Conversation" is one that touches nearly every industry, the Vice President of The Pantone Color Institute, Laurie Pressman is passionate about the topic. This sentiment reigns true when considering the visually expressive world we live in, and the impact that color has on our daily lives. From the clothes we wear to the way color makes us feel, the language of color is one that is universally shared. Trend Hunter had the opportunity to sit with Laurie Pressman to discuss the power and importance of the color conversation, and to learn more about the ways in which brands leverage color to engage and inspire consumers.

Could you start by telling me a little bit about yourself and what you do?

I've been with Pantone for 19 years. My role as Vice President of The Pantone Color Institute lies within the area of Pantone that's dedicated to color trends, what we would call “color intelligence.” I work with many different brands on color selection and definition for a brand's visual identity. Every day my job is different because color touches everything. We work in color psychology, so it could mean developing the right purple to represent Prince, working with Conan O'Brian's team to come up with the right orange, or working with LG to develop the right colors for their products. It's pretty varied because, as I said, color touches anything and everything.

What research goes into creating these new colors? Where do you start and how do you know when you found the right color?

It's always a different process, but everything starts with trends. Our trend books are completed two years in advance, and we're always asking "where is color going?" Color is a language and trends reflect what's taking place in our culture. In fact, if you look back, you can trace what was happening at a particular moment in time by what was being represented through color. For example, when we saw the election taking place there was much more red being shown on the catwalk. That's because red is second to black when it comes to the power of color. That's an example of how color interprets what's taking place.

In the context of Pantone's work, would you say that the colors you create are reflective of society or is it the other way around?

I would say we listen and we lead. You have a have a good ear to the ground to connect those dots. Whether you're talking about new technologies, movies and film, automation, art in the street or in the museum. It's looking around at anything and everything that can influence color, and asking yourself "how do I bring that all together?", "How am I able to illustrate this through the visual language of color?"

Can you speak to some of the unexpected partnerships you've had the opportunity to get involved with?

The really interesting thing about Pantone is that color touches everything. The world has become much more visually expressive, so there's people that are coming to us from all walks of life looking to work together. Whether it's a partnership with NASA, the Underwater Agency or Universal -- we never know what's coming next, our role is to keep the color conversation going.

What was the most unexpected partnership that you have worked on that you really enjoyed?

Recently we worked with the Ocean Agency to develop unique colors based on the colors of the ocean. What I really liked about that project was that it solidified how color is used as a language in nature. Colors are a language, and you see nature using that language to articulate what's happening -- whether it's the changing of the leaves, the blooming of the flowers, or the color that coral uses to signal that it's in danger by emitting bio-luminous colors. Being able to partner with an environmental agency like the Ocean Agency to create and develop these colors was really important to help open peoples' eyes to what's happening in the environment.

What would you say is the biggest challenge either in your industry?

Color is moving in a different direction. Digital has really influenced how we see color and the vibrancy that people are looking for. There's so many different levels in the market that you need to appeal to today, and we're living in a much more visual society than we have in the past. I think social media has led to that. All the websites, access to information and social channels are influencing trends and color in that way.

A lot of different factors come together to make color. Does Pantone have any unique innovation tactics to boost creativity and inter-departmental collaboration?

When we have a real product session at Pantone they are probably more in line with true brainstorming sessions, with everybody coming with every kind of crazy idea that they can possibly think of. It's pretty open, they're showing different palettes, different visuals and different videos about what that means to them. I do think we work in a creative environment and are very well aware that our audience is the design community, this is color, we have to make it fun.

What industries do you look to for inspiration?

Certain industries, like automotive, work much further ahead; automotive is very focused on finish. That's important because color can't be flat, especially today when people look for more depth and texture. Fragrance was another area that is much more forward-facing. We look at food and technology, too. With that said, we're looking at anything and everything. You could also look at cities and ask "do certain cities hold more weight?"-- trend incubator cities, so to speak. Some areas are known to have more trends on the streets.

What do you envision for the next five to 10 years for Pantone? Where is the color industry heading?

In the area in which I'm involved in, people become so much more aware of how color can be used to create a message, we see so many more people coming to us. I see the consulting side becoming increasingly important. As a result of that, as people, companies and brands recognize the importance of color and how color can be used to help them get the message across and how it can engage consumers. Also, I see the digital world becoming more important because it's the nature of how we live today, but I also see the nature of how we live continuing as seamless fusion of online and offline.