ICM - Leeds Design Agency

You may have heard people talk about their bland job, no colour, working in an office all day, staring at the same grey drab walls hour after hour.

Well spare a thought for the poor people at Pantone. EVERY day is colour! Their entire job is a smashing whirlwind of tones and hues of EVERY possible combination. Their entire remit IS colour, traveling the world and trying to predict the colour trends for the next season.

As you will see in this video – Pantone publish colour guides for certain sectors each year – Fashion being one of those sectors. Each year, millions of pounds are wagered on the forecast of the Pantone predictions as they buy their consumables for next years products.

It is not only the fashion industry – Car manufacturers, electronic devices such as phones and MP3 Players – in fact almost anything mass produced will have had time, effort and research put into choosing the right colour . . .

There are now hundreds of products available through Pantone and other outlets that mimic the famous Pantone colour swatch and style. Bags, Watches, Pillows – you name it. I even did a double take at the weekend when I visited York for the day – passing a jewelers shop I was drawn to window because some of the products had been mounted and displayed on Pantone matched stands! Right down to using the Pantone references and numbers that matched the stones and colours of the product!!!

Where will it end? Will you be able to search clothing stores and filter results according to their Pantone reference? Will you be on the Pantone website asking for complimentary green for that pair of shoes you have bought? . . . And heavens forbid if that new handbag came WITHOUT a Pantone reference! . . . Oh, don’t worry. Just take a picture on your phone and mail it to accessorize@pantone.com – they will analyze the shot and mail you back a reference within a few minutes . . .

It may sound like madness, but there are a few mad people out there . . . And yes – I do know what Pantone coulour my eyes are. Don’t you??!!??

And for even more fun visit:
www.pantoneuniverse.com
www.pantoneeyewear.com
www.colorstrology.com...

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Last Thursday night I sat down in front of the television after a long day at work craving the visual-bubblegum of early evening entertainment only to find that my television set wouldn’t switch on.

Just a few months outside the extended three-year warranty, the power unit has failed and the set (being an old ‘tube’ type) is beyond economic repair. So it’s off the local facilities who thankfully have an area for WEEE eligible items.

I feel a little frustrated at the times we’re living in; a generation where resources are becoming ever-more limited, but our consumer needs are becoming increasingly unlimited. Shouldn’t the products we truly desire have longevity as one of their main features?

Take the humble laptop for example; we all want to be seen on the train with the latest model with almost total disregard for the product’s lifespan or the less-than eco-friendly practices that went into producing the plastic case, the screen and so on…

Thankfully there is a shift in trends – Apple’s latest Macbook – To create the aluminum case, engineers take a sheet of aluminum 15mm thick and machine away 90% of its mass. They then regrind and smelt the leftovers up to 20 times to make 20 more notebooks. A small step towards a more sustainable product, the end product is beautiful and solid as a rock. It is these qualities that make the product a potential hand-me-down.

Howies, the clothing manufacturer, have taken this one step further. I recently purchased a lightweight rain jacket made from 50% recycled polyester. When I’ve finished with it Howies would like me to send it back to become a new jacket.

Going further still they now produce the Hand-Me-Down jacket where you are actively encourage to pass it on.

To me, these are the true desirable products. Looking for a new television I was bombarded by HD-ready, Full-HD, 100Hz, 1080p, rich blacks, attractive styling, 24fps and so-on. Nothing (other than power consumption figures) hinted at the product’s longevity. It’s easy to say ‘if the product lasts longer, we won’t sell as many’ but maybe this a gamble more manufacturers are going to have to start making – become more sustainable, be more desirab…

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Watch makers Swatch and MTV have got together to launch a Creative Playground. The aim of the creative playground is to encourage young people to showcase their creative talents and upload their work onto the playground..

The site will also be a community for the budding creatives to talk to each other and let their imaginations run wild. Entrants can enter their work into various categories including music, film, print design and fashion and there is also the opportunity to win $20.000 towards funding future education in your chosen creative discipline.

This is a great opportunity for young people all over the world to use their imaginations and creativity. They have a platform available to show off their work with the chance of their talent being recognised by two big brands….

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