Evolution. It’s integral to design as artists respond to shifts—in the economy, in politics, and especially in culture. When it comes to color’s role in this evolution, it’s clear that trends based on deep-rooted societal changes have greater authenticity and staying power than more ephemeral fads. InVisiO Color Inspirations 2019+ examines the once and future progression of art and design.

InVisiO designers investigate global megatrends and perform deep and broad color research to develop palettes that resonate with emerging and longer-term societal trends. This year’s collection begins with minerals of the Stone Age and hand-made art of indigenous cultures. It detours for a look at the sometimes-unnerving techno natural aesthetic of today, and investigates the ways that our shared heritage will leave its mark on upcoming color, material and finish preferences.

The 2019-and-beyond collection of four influential and emerging color palettes examines a world in flux, one where we honor our heritage, seek nature in materials, embrace techno-uncertainty, and cherish true craft.

Stone Age: Primitive materials such as stone, marble and minerals resonate globally, valued for their imperfect beauty, multifaceted textures, perpetuity, and strength. Palettes across unexpected product categories are inspired by these materials. Colors are tweaked and mixed into thousands of shades of taupe, mushroom, charcoal and oyster colors, all of which are common in natural stone. With the use of more tone-on-tone color palettes, texture (both visible and tactile) becomes a key component of any design.

Human Trace: As technology becomes more and more embedded in our lives, people want to be reminded of human touch. Artists and designers experiment with different materials to create “handmade” craft impression. This palette reflects ways in which our human need to leave a mark has evolved over time. Colors can be traced back to earliest civilizations, drawing inspiration from materials and pigments found in nature, including rich deep hues, jewel toned blues and greens, warm terracotta and translucent amber.

Uncanny Valley: As science and technology intrude ever more upon our lives, things are getting a bit weird. Thanks to such developments as synthetic materials that mimic human skin, lifelike robots, and augmented reality, the line between human and artificial is becoming blurred, making us uncomfortable. This palette explores the premise that facsimiles appearing almost, but not exactly, like real human beings elicit feelings of eeriness and uncertainty. In response, a post-human aesthetic emerges, one which embraces this discomfort, playing upon it to create something original. Colors in this palette challenge the status quo with uncomfortable pairings. 

Heritage: Humanity honors the connection between generations, and understands that the effects of our actions will materialize only after decades or centuries. This understanding is changing our attitudes towards consumption. We celebrate the beauty of decay and do our part by recycling and upcycling. Old becomes new, becomes old again and so on. Using biodegradable and compostable resins, this palette was created with future generations in mind. Color formulations are also based on advanced bio-based masterbatches that include elemental pigments.

For more information on Color Inspiration 2019+ and how it can help designers and brand owners develop color strategies based on consumer color preferences, please visit www.polyone.com.