Just a quick observation today. Graqphic design/Web design is really no different than fashion. Everything has been done before, what is old is now new and all that really changes is how it’s done and what your pair it with. Now, with the exception of color palettes changing thanks to better monitors and video cards, Web 2.0 style design resembles alot of the older stuff from the very early 90’s. The late 90’s and early 2000’s had a very industrial, futuristic look and feel to the web. I blame Flash for that. But now, Web 2.0 styles are driving things toward the familiar simplicity of web design from 15yrs ago, minus of course the technology pinnacle of the day back then, the ever annoying animated GIF.

Does this mean in 2015 the techo-driven Flash interface will make a return and we will all be forced to interact like we are in The Minority Report? Only time will tell.

Pantone has recently released it’s 2006 color forecast. To
me the forecast is 70’s art deco meets early American Victorian. Their forecast
calls for muted oranges (Glazed Ginger, Burnt Orange), muted blues(Moroccan
Blue) and yellows(Rattan and Moss). All of these colors scream “Brady Bunch”.
They complement these colors with deep earth tones such as the reds “American
Beauty” and “Ruby Wine”, a green “Burnt Olive”, and a royalty driven purple
called ”Gloxina”, all of which are Victorian in history and eclectic in
practice.

So how do these predictions play out in the work you are
doing? It really comes down to the client
and the media in which you are working. Some clients bend to the trends,
especially those doing traditional marketing. You will see these colors more
than likely showing up in advertising in magazines and direct mailings. They
may even make their way to billboards and annual reports. With the right
client, they may show up on promotional websites built for a particular
campaign with a very short lifespan. You see a great deal of this with the Nike’s
and Coca-cola’s of the world.

That being said, you won’t want to implement trendy colors in creative you
design that is meant to be seen for any extended period of time; let’s say
anything over nine months. Why? Because color carries with it different connotations,
implications and feelings. Pantone makes their predictions based on what they
think the mood of the consumer will respond to and cause them to act. Shortly
after 9-11, Pantone released a prediction palette of mostly pastels. The
thought behind it was that the consumer was more likely to respond to the
contrast of the light and less contrasting palette than the harsh darkness of
the deep reds, grays and blacks seen on their televisions everyday.A year from now you don’t know what will be
the mood of your target audience. Colors today that say “care free” or “whimsical”,
might say “lazy” and “weak” tomorrow. So you want to avoid trendy colors for
corporate websites and collateral such as business cards and letter that people
may look at years from now.