Voice of Colour announce their Colour of the year

With 2018 scarily close, we are starting to look at what is going to be the biggest trends for next year, and what could be better than discussing colour! Colour influences all design, whether it is bright, bold or non-existent. Colour makes a statement. So, we sat down with colour experts Ben Wilde, Colour Marketing Manager, and Donna Taylor, Colour Consultant, from Voice of Colour to learn a bit more about what we can expect from 2018.

So first off, what is Voice of Colour?

BW: Voice of Colour is an established colour palette of over two thousand colours. It brings the latest colour trends to Johnstone’s Trade paint in the UK to help support interior designers, architects and building managers.

So, does the choice of colours change from region to region, say from UK to America to Asia?

BW: This is the beauty of Voice of Colour, it acts as one harmonious palette that everyone across all countries and regions can use. The benefits of this are that, no matter where your project is, you can always get the colours and paints you need.

Black Flame was chosen as the ‘Colour of the Year’ what was the reason behind this choice and can you tell me a little about the selection process?

DT: During the selection process, 20 of our global colour experts come from all over the world including South Asia, America and Europe. They get together for three days and share the colour information they have gleaned over the past year, from a whole host of industries. We look at architecture, the car industry, consumer products, fashion – every single industry that has a part to play in colour is considered. Pulling all these findings together, they then work with the themes that are more repetitive amongst these 20 people, and then the colour that has been the most prominent, has raised the most excitement out of them all, and works across the key themes, is selected as Colour of the Year.

What do you think of the selection of Black Flame as Colour of the Year?

DT: Blending two classic hues, black and indigo, Black Flame evokes privacy, hope and classic modernism. As suggested in our 2018 Correlation trends guide, Black connotes silence whilst indigo offers possibility and a deep hopefulness. It’s such a dramatic and versatile colour – used in a matt finish, it can create cosmic depths to high ceilings, whilst a statement feature wall can encourage a luxe feel to surrounding jewel colours – particularly when found in plush velvet, satin or metallic furnishings. It can also create a classic elegance in a high gloss finish on doors, or create points of interest when painted on wall-sized built-in shelving units to emphasise on accessories.

But it’s not just about the Colour of the Year is it?

BW: No, it is so much more, the key strengths of Voice of Colour are the themes, and the stories that support it. It’s about finding the right moods, objects and items that help identify you as an individual, and then create themes around that inspiration.

To finish, if you could sum up design in one word, what would it be, and why?

DT:  Bravery; to take a chance – because sometimes what you think would absolutely not work, can actually result in some of the best work you’ve ever produced.

BW: Individualism; I think it’s about what’s personal – what’s right for people. Personally, I see that the strength of an interior designer is that they get into people’s minds, and find some of those individual wants and turn them into a project.