Why Businesses Need the Color Association of the United States

Industries are dependent on fortune tellers. Knowing what the general public is going to want next year or even the year after that can make or break a new product line. One of the elements most important to such industries as interior design, graphic design, and fashion is color. Knowing which colors consumers will be attracted to in a year's time is essential knowledge to the health of a business, and they rely on predictions.

One such fortune teller is the Color Association of the United States, located in New York. Originally called the Textile Color Card Association (TCCA), the Color Association has been predicting color trends since 1915. Before this association was founded, the milliners (hat makers) were responsible for setting color and fashion trends. This group depended on Germany for dyestuffs and Paris for fashion information. After World War I, the lines of global communication had changed, and the industries dependent on such information took matters into their own hands. Thus, the Textile Color Card Association was born.

The current Color Association of the United States works in committee style to develop detailed reports regarding future color trends, approximately 18 months in advance. The color forecasts are broken down into four categories: Men's, Women's, Youth, and Interiors. Just as the original TCCA developed color cards that were the predicted palettes, so does the Color Association. The cards are displayed in silks and yarns for the fashion industry, and in silk-screen color chips and fabrics and/or wallpapers samples for the Interiors booklet.

The Color Association distributes its reports to its members. Members consist of businesses; graphic design firms, fashion designers, and interior decorators are but a few of the industries that benefit from such a membership.

Membership falls into two categories: Corporate and Individual, with Individual membership being available to small businesses consisting of one or two people.

For Individual membership, the annual cost is $550. For Corporate membership, the fee is $1,100. The member chooses from one of the above-mentioned categories and would receive that color forecast. For example, an interior designer would choose Interior. An extra $200 will allow the member to choose an additional category. Also included in the membership is a bi-monthly newsletter and e-bulletin, a discount to the yearly symposium, and access to the Color Association's archives, housed in its New York office.

While it may seem an extravagance to purchase such an expensive membership for a few color swatches, it's a small price to pay for reliable information that could mean the difference between success and failure.

Committee members are experts in their fields. They are drawn from such notable names as Calvin Klein, Shaw Industries, Saks Fifth Avenue, and others of the business elite. They study past trends. They assess current political and social climates. They consider current technologies and where those technologies are going to be in two years time. And they look at consumers. Consider this: Generation X is coming of age, consumer age, in which they have full time incomes and make major purchases such as cars and homes. The fashion and beauty industry, package and product designers, the auto industry... all will need to market to this generation within the next few years, and will try to capture consumer loyalty.

Imagine a group of people being able to tell you what will appeal to this group of buyers in a year's time. The cost of membership now seems quite reasonable.

Because color is the first thing that attracts consumers, consciously or unconsciously, to a product or package, businesses rely on color to make that first impression. The Color Association provides consultation services to companies to determine the best application of color to existing products and those in development. The staff has a thorough understanding of such topics as color profiling, enabling companies to market products globally, according to differing cultures and perceptions.

The Color Association of the United States is one of the most prominent predictors of color trends. The color palette forecasted for 2007/2008 in the Interior category was a mix of vivaciousness (think corals and satin), nostalgic practicality (think linen and stone), and dreamy airiness (think soft blues and pale pinks). The evidence of their accuracy can be found on the pages of the June issue of Veranda magazine. Shown are textiles colored in antique gold and deep reds. The rooms pictured are airy and subtle, the accents in coral and satiny purples.

The Color Association of the United States provides a valuable and important service to all manner of industries. In fashion and design, in production and marketing, businesses want to be successful and so must provide the best product possible. Businesses who use the services of the Color Association are most likely to better serve the consumer. That's why it's good business to listen to the fortune tellers.

Visit the Color Association website at http://www.colorassociation.com/site/communicate.html