Maeven’s Exclusive Interview with “International Color Guru,” Leatrice Eiseman.
Few people are born with a colorful sixth sense, an innate ability to understand and use color emotionally, expressively, and correctly—the way nature intended. While a talented colorist can help bridge a connection between you and your consumer, there also exists an entirely different expert, a phenotype who decides color direction, influences trends, and is fully abreast to the history of color as it pertains to consumer marketing. One person who holds all of those credentials is Leatrice Eiseman.
Lee’s talents for color started years before her professional training. As a young child, she had a natural talent for pairing color combinations, an ability that eventually helped her to become one of the most sought after color experts internationally. Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute and founder of the Eiseman Center for Color Information, Eiseman has been credited with deciding the wildly popular Pantone Color of the Year —and has been instrumental with just about every color trend that exists.
Our guest contributor, Lee Eiseman, sat down with us to discuss the latest color trends and answer some of our most curious questions about color.
Alicia: Thank you for talking about color with us. You've said in the past that “color is a silent salesperson.” Could you begin by sharing more about the importance of color and how it is used to influence the consumer?
Lee: Thank you for inviting me today. I’ve used the phrase ‘silent salesperson’ to describe the way color influences potential consumers who may not be as overtly aware of its influence as those of us who have made it our life's work or have studied the psychology of color and its emotional attachment. When you engage in a conversation with a consumer about color, they can usually begin to see the logic after it’s been explained to them. If someone is seeking suggestions for a color of paint for a bedroom, for example, and they reveal that they want one that will help them feel calmer and more relaxed, an escape from their harrowing and hectic life, they may not be as aware of the effect that the color blue can have on their emotions. I’ll explain to them that blue brings out a feeling of serenity and peace. No matter where they live in the world, the beautiful blue sky is always a welcome sign. It's never fallen on us. The earth can rumble, the water can overflow, but somehow the sky is always there, even if it's hidden behind gray clouds on a dismal day. We know that those clouds will eventually dissipate and a gorgeous serene sky will be revealed and you're going to do something fun and wonderful under that blue sky.”
Alicia: Marketers of products do this well and it’s interesting that many new or inexperienced consumer product professionals are influenced by their personal color preferences and you really have to build color knowledge over time. Do you agree?
Lee: Those of us who have had an innate understanding of color since we were small children understand the importance of separating our professional opinions from our personal preferences when it comes to choosing a color. Because our emotions are so tied up in color, it's sometimes even difficult for those of us who make color decisions professionally to divorce our personal reactions to a color and examine if it's the right choice for a product. But there are some people that are unaware that they’re not divorcing their personal tastes from their professional opinions. In many situations where I offer a color selection, even before I give my rationale, I get an immediate reaction because a client is allowing their own personal reaction to a color to take over the rationale about how it works in the marketplace. As colorists we might sometimes forget that even the CEO or manager of a project, somebody who's steeped in color all the time, still has their own personal and emotional reactions to the color. That's one of the hardest things to overcome when you're presenting color to clients.
Alicia: We’ve been stuck in our homes for the last couple of years, away from trade shows, fashion shows, and other events, and not exposed to trends on the streets as much as we’re used to. Have you seen this impacting color trends?
Lee: I don't think you can put an umbrella answer over the impact. For some people, being sequestered and not being out means that they've been more attached to their computers, doing more research, and putting more focus on color because they have had the time to focus and concentrate on it without distractions. Others have removed themselves so much from the scene and have not been observing the trends on the streets. Then there’s the personal reaction. To some, the colors they were exposed to while feeling safe in their homes during lockdown became very important. Others came through it saying, ‘I am so sick of the colors on my walls after being stuck in the house for long. If their walls are all white or all gray, for example, they might be ready to branch out into bright colors to start fresh. I've seen reactions all along that spectrum. I've read in magazines that we need calm and to feel reassurance. That’s true, but you still have to put it in terms of context as to how and where we are using the color. There isn’t just one common reaction to being sequestered--it’s highly personal.
Alicia: You have spoken about some of these big events in our lives and how uncertainty influences color trends. I think of the color brown and earth tones, not to delve too deep, do you think that the pandemic has affected that trend?
Lee: I think that we've been trending towards those warm colors for several years now. Two years ago, before lockdown, I did a terracotta palette and the reaction to it was strong. But the next season, when the pandemic hit, that color palette was prolonged because people weren't making many color changes due to supply chain issues. As a consequence, we had to go back to palettes utilized the prior year– we’ve never had to do that before. It elongated the life of the trend and interestingly it has not gone away. It is a trend that has really captured people's attention because of climate concerns and the preservation of the earth. I believe that sustainability issues are really influencing a renewed trend toward earth tones.
Alicia: You mention sustainability– many brands are becoming more eco-focused and purpose-driven. I think about Patagonia of course, but even Stella McCartney, who became a B Corporation. Are you seeing an impact on color trends because of an increased focus on sustainability?
Lee: Exactly. It is an ongoing issue, not one that goes away. It’s similar to the emphasis in the early nineties about the rainforest issue which subsided when people got excited about the dotcom era, but there was always that niche that existed for people who were becoming increasingly concerned about global warming. The popularity surrounding the color green and earth tones is not likely to disappear any time soon because these colors represent a love of nature. I don’t think it’s simply a trend.
The issue with blanket statements about trends is that there is a need for newness–that’s what attracts consumers and keeps the wheels of commerce greased. But you also have to recognize the need for some familiarity and the reasons that go behind the familiarity. So our job coloring, especially working on trends, is to bring something new, perhaps in the way of how we’re combining colors in a way that hasn’t been done before-–or maybe it's in the finish of the color. It’s a good idea to watch what's going on in the automotive industry, always a big indicator. The saying “so last year” is tough for colorists. How do we use what's last year while bringing some freshness into the atmosphere? Color is such an obvious way to do that.
Alicia: You mentioned many of us spending more time in front of our computers lately, and may be more digitally influenced. The Millennial and Gen Y demographics are particularly digitally focused and influenced by the metaverse. Are you seeing anything specific with this demographic and how they interact with color?
Lee: We’re still learning a lot because the metaverse is so new and I believe a lot of it is highly promotable from the standpoint of those people who have things to sell. I can’t help but think it will have an influence because it's talked about so much. It’s a definite trend, especially for the younger generation. But I believe it all actually began before the metaverse. The idea of immersibility, especially with traveling art exhibits, has been so amazing, getting people of all ages really involved in color–not just younger people. It’s a new way of immersing yourself in color. That makes the issue of color, its intensity and its familiarity, even more important for young people. I keep using that word immerse because young people are more immersed in color these days. I think the metaverse is a big part of that.
We forget that electronic color has been around for a long time. When television changed from black and white to color, there was a huge upsurge in art education and people became more knowledgeable about color. People became more fascinated by color because it was a present in their living rooms on a day-to-day basis. So I think it's been a steady climb, especially because of where technology is now and because of the intensity of the color that they're able to get on the screen.
We have seen it in animated films which were a precursor to the metaverse as far as people's adaptation. I think the younger generations in particular have a greater willingness to experiment with color combinations than previous generations.
We were raised with a lot of ‘never’ rules surrounding color. You ‘never use these two colors together’ or ‘that is not an attractive color combination,’ especially when it comes to color patterns.’ Older generations had, and still have, a lot more judgments about color than the younger generation that wasn’t raised with the same color “rules.” The digital age has given rise to much more acceptance of previously unacceptable color combinations. And I think this willingness to experiment with color keeps growing.
Alicia: We’re seeing more brands use a signature color as a branding tool. Valentino, known for its association with the color red recently created a signature pink; Prince made himself especially connected to the color purple; and Tiffany & Co. has long been famously associated with robin's-egg blue. Do you anticipate that this concept of “color branding” will grow in popularity?
Lee: No question. This is because there's an increasingly great understanding of the impact color can have in branding and marketing as a whole. One of the most interesting things to me is the way brands use color to reinvent themselves. If you have brand equity that's built on the use of certain colors, the challenge becomes how can you make it appear fresh? That doesn't necessarily mean throwing away established colors, rather, how can we be more inventive with those colors? Or how can we support those colors in a new way? Where will your brand’s colors be seen elsewhere? How can accent colors be used? Can we add a metallic finish to give it a fresh appearance? Can we mix finishes in ways that have never been mixed before to capture consumers’ attention and make them say ‘wow, that's an exciting combination,’ and use color to bring a newness without being radically unfamiliar or unrecognizable.
Alicia: You are so instrumental in driving color direction and trends in the industry, so we are all watching you. Who are you watching? You touched on the traveling immersive art. Is there anything new or noteworthy you're paying attention to?
Lee: My job is to be very objective and I can't look at just one trend or innovation. For me, the biggest challenge is to not become myopic– to look at the world with a broader view. The biggest influence for me has been the whole idea of immersive color and how this affects the ultimate consumer. I am always influenced by the art world.
When I started in this profession, art was more elitist. Fortunately, all of that has changed. The arts have become a part of our everyday lives and an appreciation for art is reaching the masses. And it's not just about what the stars are wearing on the red carpet anymore. Instead, people want to know what important films are coming out and what colors are being featured in those films.
Global events and social socioeconomic considerations are also incredibly influential on color trends in ways we could have not predicted. The Ukrainian situation, for example, has created a worldwide focus on the nation’s colors, blue and yellow. We certainly could not have known that was going to happen.
That’s why we, as color professionals, must be aware of what’s happening in the world around us and be open to making room for the unpredictable. Not simply for marketing purposes, but for the bigger picture, incorporating colors - like those on the Ukraine flag – is a way of showing support for current events and social issues. With the younger generations more aware and zoned into these issues than ever before, color can play a greater role as well.
As far as the metaverse is concerned, there's always a part of me that is skeptical – in a good way. Are people really going to look at the colors trending in the metaverse and say, ‘now when I go to the store, I'm going to look at the metaverse colors and decide what I want to buy?’ The jury is still out. We're going to have to wait a little longer and make sure we're not just being sold a bill of goods by those who want to sell products.
I think it’s good to maintain a little bit of skepticism – but a good skepticism – until we see how it's going to play out.