An inspiring podcast on everything you need to know about color!
Happy holidays to all our listeners! See you back here in January with a brand-new podcast with Brazilian creative Michell Lott.
Breaking the Average with Lidi Bus
It is always super fun to talk to fellow Dutchies. Lidi Bus talked about her journey as an artist, how she came about her inflatable design and their colorful combination but also about vulnerability and her quest to break free from average.
Born Dutch, Lidi designs and fabricates unique inflatable props and set pieces, definitely not modern art to be stared at in silence. Her creations are striking expressions of applied art aimed at fashion, interior design, product presentations, photo shoots and events. Inflatable items with specific dimensions and colors can be created on request. Break free from average is her motto and she certainly does.
Lidi Bus inflatables serve as an extension for storytellers to help them create eye-catching presentations. They resonate with creators who see value in an exceptional approach, and seek to stand out from the crowd. Exclusive, bold and unique. Lidi embraces extraordinary projects, far removed from the mundane, making a statement: average is simply not enough.
The very essence of her work is based on a mix of observation, gathering useful and interesting working materials as well as ongoing research into the technical details, including the inflation system and intricate details of finishing. It is from this playful approach that the rough ideas emerge and are then carefully filtered: from broad to narrow, making room for the true concept and final result.
The Magical World of Crypto Art with Bruno Pitzalis
Before getting into the Crypto Art topic, Bruno gives a quick guide through the hot topic of metaverses, NFT's and how one can be part of the digital world. He also debunks some misperceptions that quickly had risen within the first year of the very existence of this new reality. While Bruno reveals his main inspirations within the Crypto Art movement, how he selects artists for his exhibitions and which artists are currently hot, he has a direct call to action to the creative community as the digital world is in great need of creative input. Listen to our interview and find out why color creatives are so necessary at this early stage of this new movement and what future role color has in this digital world.
Bruno Pitzalis is a Crypto Art expert, curator and sale advisor. In June 2021 he conceived and coordinated "Dystopian Visions", the first Crypto Art NFT auction in Italy for the Cambi auction house in partnership with SuperRare. Thanks to his twenty years experience of working in the field of communication and documentary direction, he has developed a peculiar vision and strategy for the creation of applied value. He currently holds the role of Communications and Brand Awareness at MoCDA (Museum of Contemporary Digital Art), head of MoCDA - The Foundry, cultural populariser of the Crypto Art scene, he is collector and collaborator of Artribune and has a column on Crypto Art.
The Best of Two Worlds with Thandiwe Muriu
What is it like to be a black female artist today, who is the modern African woman behind the colourful CAMO series and where does she get her inspiration? Thandiwe Muriu will explains the importance of African storytelling, the diversity of the patterns and colors she works with and how she advocates for female empowerment. We talk about self-perception, the struggles of being a female photographer in Kenya and how her family upbringing still inspires her in her daily work. How does Thandiwe mix the best of two worlds, her Kenyan rooted heritage and the opportunities modern Africa has to offer?
Thandiwe Muriu is a self-taught photographer born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Pursing photography from an early age, she is passionate about helping brands communicate through photography so they can get their message across in ways that will not only keep their audiences engaged but, also help them get the desired response.
Over the years, she has developed a particular interest in showcasing Africa’s unique mix of vibrant cultures, colour and people. Through her personal work she celebrates her African heritage and tackles important issues such as identity and self-perception using the rich colours and vibrancy the continent is so well know for. Thandiwe’s signature style is colourful, clean and bold.
She currently resides in Nairobi, Kenya where she teaches workshops and regularly travels for assignments.
The Natural Flow of Color with Laura Perryman
Laura will give insights in the world of materials and how specifically plastics relate to product design and yes color. She believes the world of color design is adapting to seasonal color flows, letting go of the need to control color in design and letting it flow naturally. An interesting talk about creating natural colors in labs, neuro-aesthetics and where the future of design & color is moving.
Laura is an experienced colour and material designer and trend forecaster, who thinks strategically, has a user-centered mindset and brings inspiration, clear actionable insights, and design directions for brands and organisations. Her ethos is colour and materials should be integral but above all have a positive purpose for applications, products, or services. Working with companies, she navigates future opportunities and creates intelligent, empathetic, and planet-aware palettes and designs, demonstrating aesthetics are key to all levels of experience.
Her in-depth background in colour, knowledge of materials in manufacture, and critical understanding of the trend prediction process have enabled the creation of innovative design directions, brand colour guidelines, and material development for globally renowned and respected companies.
Her work experience encompasses diverse industry sectors, from industrial product design to digital platforms; she has created unique CMF design for future-forward innovation firms in-house at Arrival, Nokia, and Speedo, and has consulted with brands such as 3M Post-it, Sainsbury’s, DuPont Corian, and HP, to create category leading colour identities for new products. She’s led strategic future forecasting projects for clients such as Panasonic Europe, Antron, Comex, and Procter & Gamble and created engaging and insightful reports for trend forecasting agencies including WGSN and Beautystreams.
Laura currently directs Colour of Saying, a UK-based CMF Design Studio, focused on future-forward circular and emotionally-connected colour and material design, insights, and experiences for brands and organisations. Most recently showcasing an exhibition and series of workshops entitled ‘Colour Via:’ on how colour can drive and be an agent for change in advancing sustainable design practices. She is currently on the board of trustees for The Colour in Design Awards, a non-profit organisation that supports new graduates and designers to explore colour further in their practice.
Laura is the author of The Colour Bible, published Autumn 2021, a succinct book covering 100 significant colours and their pertinence and potential for use in the world around us.
Sharing the Love for Color with Peggy Van Allen
An educational talk with Peggy on how she observes human behavior and translates changes in her surroundings to color palettes, the importance of sharing knowledge in the field of color and design to inspire others, how you communicate color digitally in current times with clients, how being President of Color Marketing Group impacted her professional career and network and how her view on the importance of philanthropy in multiple areas.
Peggy Van Allen is a designer and color anthropologist with a background in graphic design and experience in trend research, visual merchandising, and palette development. Her unique skillset allows her to visually communicate the complexities of color in a way that is both inspirational and educational. Peggy has a firm understanding that trend forecasting is integral to the success of design and color palette development.
Peggy has been an active member of Color Marketing Group (CMG) for over 20 years. She has served on numerous committees, facilitated workshops, and served two terms on the Board of Directors. Following two years as Vice-President of Color Forecasting, Peggy was appointed as CMG’s 2020-2022 President.
Color Marketing Group, a not-for-profit, international association of color design professionals, is a forum for the exchange of all things color. Members represent a broad spectrum of designers, marketers, color scientists, consultants, educators, and artists.
As a color anthropologist, Peggy studies human behavior in order to understand the why, what and when of a target consumer’s color preferences. Corporate clients, in the home products industry, utilize Van Allen’s color expertise on projects ranging from large-scale paint color displays to smaller color line updates, and material color offerings such as building sheets, grout, and roofing.
Contactless Color with Justine Fox
How is the city of London changing its colors and what has to change? Justine talks about her passion for urban planning and architecture and how she works with architects to apply color more purposefully. She highlights the importance of child-friendliness in urban areas and how her new project gets children and entire communities active together again in a playful and of course colorful way.
Justine is a consultant with a unique understanding of applied colour psychology, colour trend, insights and colour ergonomics with futures thinking. Her multi-disciplinary perspective on colour creates engagement with people through product development, social content, publications and immersive installations. She is focused on bringing awareness to all stakeholders within urban planning and architecture on the considered use of colour to help improve sustainability, inclusivity, community and safety for all people who live and work in the built environment.
Calzada Fox is a colour consultancy with a difference, combining strategic vision, creativity and innovation. We work across all sectors empowering our clients with innovative ideas which are relevant to their business and stakeholders.
Customer Chemistry with Anja Gaede
A fascinating talk about Scandinavian colors and trends, how different these are from colors in other parts of the world, how sustainability and regenerated materials are taking over the world of not just fashion and interior design, but also other industries. Anja moreover explains how our personal preferences, our taste, is related to our very own chemistry.
Anja Bisgaard Gaede, the founder of SPOTT, has an MA degree in communication and specialised in fashion, consumerism, and experience economy. Besides numerous presentations, product development cases, strategy sessions and consultations over the past 14 years, she has also published the Danish book Skab god kemi med dine kunder – oplevelsesøkonomi i detailhandlen (Customer Chemistry – experience economy in retail) and edited the anthology Fashion Film and Transmedia.
SPOTT trends & business provides Scandinavian lifestyle brands with consumer insight, trend and colour forecast for spot on business development. SPOTT creates the essential links between future trends, consumer behavior and business. This calls for a new and innovative approach where neuroscience, trend forecasting and commercial experience is combined in turning trends into business for Scandinavian lifestyle clients. They range from fashion and design companies, city development, creative colleges, retail, lifestyle organisations and media companies.
The Future is Here with Bridget Frizzie
In this episode you will discover what a futurist is and how Bridget herself visions the future in the world of events. She will illuminate us on her colorful Colombian upbringing and how that transformed her desire to create in beauty, bringing along her audience in her dream world of storytelling.
Bridget comes to the table with over 20 years of experience as a provocative lifestyle designer, handling everything from event ideation, interior styling, color customization, hospitality design and visual merchandising, as well as an accomplished floral designer. She is Creative Director and senior strategist of Kehoe Designs, a full service event decor and production company. She is a board member of the international association for Color Marketing Group. Her skill set includes blending a multicultural background, a passion for travel and a relentless pursuit of trend spotting. Her default is a nearly obsessive curiosity with future trends, color forecasting and scenario planning. She’s a patient hunter with a meticulous eye for finding the subtle nuances in design and innovation, and envisioning how they’re indicators of what’s next. Bridget’s style of thinking melds together seemingly unrelated facts, ideas and nuggets of information; result is trend spotting that is both inspiring and relatable.
The Smell of Wool with Alicia Keshishian
Alicia will bring us along her journey as a rug designer and artist, she will explain the process of designing a handmade-to-order carpets by closely observing her customer and how her designs are translated into beautiful natural rugs in Nepal. We will discuss the difficulties of keeping creative juices flow in current times and what her point of view on color trends are.
Alicia is an award-winning designer with more than 40 years of professional experience as an art director, graphic designer, surface designer, illustrator, and color consultant. She holds a BFA in Design/Illustration from CCAC and was an artist-in-residence at The Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. She currently produces a line of custom, handmade-to-order carpets and is a popular speaker, presenter and teacher on design and color. Alicia has owned and operated her own textile business as well as designed for various industries and corporations such as Papyrus, Bloomingdale’s, CBS Publications, New York Magazine, Parenting Magazine, Health/Hippocrates Magazine, Working Woman Magazine, Premiere Magazine, Image Magazine, RCA Records, American Craft Council. Her true loves have always been color and texture. Alicia comes from a long line of accomplished artists and her emergence as a rug maker is thanks to family: her Armenian-born grandfather, uncles and cousin are renowned Oriental rug authorities and collectors and that is why Carpets and color have been part of Alicia’s life as long as she can remember: the smell of the wool, the touch of the fibers, the variety of patterns all are in her DNA.
Color Escapism with Rana Khadra
Rana shares insights on the differences but also the similarities of color use and color trends in the Middle East compared to the European region, how color is energy in its form and how we are all influenced by color throughout our childhood. During our conversation we also discussed the intriguing pull many have for her native region, the colors of the city she grew up in and where she finds color inspiration in these difficult times.
As head of the creative department, Rana is the brain behind creating enchanting colors and the discerning eye when it comes to forecasting and spotting trends for Jotun. With her eclectic experience in advertising, marketing and product management, she has spearheaded product innovations while successfully launching new products and color collections across the Middle East, Africa and India. She is a certified Color Trainer by NCS, Sweden and a member of the Color Marketing Group. Rana has conducted many masterclass in color for interior designers and architects across the region. Her infectious passion indeed for color is reflected in the hues of her vibrant personality. She has a thing for beautiful doors and walls and a longing for longitudes as she often travels the world to fill her shelves with hidden curios and stories. Rana is currently residing in Dubai.
The Power of Listening with Doty Horn
In this episode I will talk with Doty Horn from the New York area about her career path in Fashion and Interior Design and how similar those two industries are when it comes to color trends. She will highlight the importance of a three to five year plan when doing trend research, the difficulty of being a visionary in a corporate world, the translation of today's happenings into colors for our homes and her new passion: mentorship. A key take away from this conversation is: the power of active listening!
Doty is Founding Director of ColorVoyant LLC, an international visionary color marketing firm formed in early 2011. With an expansive cross-current background in the interior and fashion industries as well as product development for companies such as Armstrong, Formica, Cole of California, and FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising). For seven years as Benjamin Moore Paint’s Director of Color and Design, Doty established color strategies and trend forecasting for market-focused programs using color as the driving principle. Doty also currently is board director at Color Marketing Group. With a background in the fashion Industry and through extensive traveling for trend research, Doty has established a rich foundation for understanding color and design trends that inform her leadership in color. Her insights reflect a thorough understanding of the emotional impact and power that color has on the Designer and Consumer markets.
“Excellent series about color. It’s a complex topic and Judith approaches it from a variety of angles with her guests. Always entertaining and insightful. I look forward to listening to each episode and learning something new about color and the visionaries in the color world.”
— Review Apple Podcast