http://www.colormarketing.org/ Yellow is happy color, blue is the new green BY CHERYL P. ALLEN • THE GREENVILLE (S.C.) NEWS • January 31, 2009 * Post a Comment * Recommend * Print this page * E-mail this article * Share this article: o Del.icio.us o Facebook o Digg o Reddit o Newsvine o Buzz up! * What’s this? Have you ever wondered why unrelated brands -- from KitchenAid to Martha Stewart -- are so in sync when it comes to color? Out of nowhere, it seems, turquoise mixers, cookware, even washers and dryers, appear in store displays. Advertisement Or, suddenly, every shoe that catches your eye is purple. Or every sofa is moss green. Members of the Color Marketing Group, an international nonprofit association of color design professionals, keep tabs on emerging color trends and forecast color directions 19 months in advance. Cues on developing trends may come from a Web site devoted to Aboriginal art, street fashion in Japan or worldwide economic conditions. In 2009, "we're finding comfort in colors that are familiar, and yet at the same time, we're embracing colors that make us happy, especially as accents," Jaime Stephens, CMG's executive director, said in a news release. White and other neutrals are more complex, taking on a bit more texture and shine. Yellow will be a standout accent color for 2009, while blue is becoming the new green. Watery and sky blues, for instance, represent our commitment to a greener planet. Consumers also will find that bright, exotic accent hues of oranges, turquoises and reds are prevalent, according to CMG's 2009 forecast. And purple, which has been a hot color in fashion recently, will maintain a strong influence in interior design as well.