Sherwin-Williams Industrial Color Trends Forecast 2021

DESIGNHOUSE

DESIGNHOUSE

DESIGNHOUSE

TREND FORECAST METHODOLOGY Based on fact, yet influenced by abstract conceptualization, color trend forecasting is both science and art. Like design, it serves dual purposes – to inspire and to inform, simultaneously.

The Sherwin-Williams DesignHouse color trend methodology, based on the M3Trend process developed by our own Kiki Redhead, follows six steps: trend management, trend identification and research, trend analysis, trend watching, trendspotting, and trend reporting and application.

Informed by a wide spectrum of sources from societal influences to sales data analyses, our methodology distills information from enduring global catalysts like culture, economy, environment and wellness.

INTRODUCING OUR LATEST TREND FORECAST Life experience is the foundation of great design. It informs who we were, who we are and who we will be. Most importantly, it shapes our perspective – the inward and/or outward expressions of our humanity.

Using our proprietary, science-and-art-based methodology, we examine the ever-evaporating boundary between the physical and digital world to predict the future of color. Intentionally, we pause & rewind, push play and fast forward.

As solution seekers, CMF and industrial designers are trained to use empathy as a crucial problem solving methodology.

Understanding people – and their unique and shared perspectives – allows designers to anticipate what’s next. By having basic knowledge of how humans lived, live and will live, creators can invent products that enhance, improve and simplify the world around us.

In Perspectives, my team of color experts at the SherwinWilliams DesignHouse explores how the past, present and future will influence color in product design 3-5 years from now.

Colorfully,

Kiki Redhead, CMG Global CMF & Trend Manager, DesignHouse

COUNCIL MEMBERS Hannah Seeb Marketing Communications

Amanda Pevito R&D Chemist

Rachel Schwen Color Scientist

Leah Novotny Industrial CMF Designer

Brynn Wildenauer Architectural CMF Designer

Grace Berry Content Manager

Sammy Morgan Project Manager

Justin Carolyne Graphic Designer

PROGRAM SUPPORT Adam Neff Creative Services Manager

Jacob Kostelnik Video & Photo Manager

Four hundred years ago, the word perspective was mainly used to describe spatial distance in art, but by the 18th century, its definition began to express a figurative state in addition to a physical position.

In this trend forecast, professionals from various organizations share their individual viewpoints – or perspectives – on three macro-level trends that surround the concept of time. These projections look 3-5 years into the future and have been examined through a wide-angled lens that anticipates a post-pandemic world. Expertise, unique experience and captivating color connect in this year’s forecast to showcase the multidimensional nature of Perspectives, physically and metaphorically.

[ p e r - s p e k- t i v ] n ou n • t he state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship (Dictionary.com) •a particular attitude toward something; a way of thinking about something (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary) •a n inward manifestation or outward expression of one’s views formed intentionally and/or subliminally through experience and gathered data (Sherwin-Williams DesignHouse)

sy no ny m s point of view, mindset, position, vision, stance, opinion

8

14

20

PERSPECTIVES A SWEEPING, CURATED LOOK AT PERSPECTIVES

THIS IS HOW WE: Thrive Survive Socialize

Innovate Consume Strategize

C ATA LY S T S : Beliefs, culture, economy, environment, ethics, government, humanity, individuality, society, science, transparency, uncertainty, wellbeing

Nostalgia is sparked by the senses. The subtle hum of a cassette tape rewinding.

The electric glow of the family-room television. The slight grit of grandmother’s pearls. These are the sounds, sights and feelings of comfort that mark time. The past, whether it be the days of stained glass cathedrals, colonial blacksmiths or landline phones, is shared.

Treasured collectibles, like school-day memories and community cookbook recipes, transcend time through stories, media and design.

Drawn from the imagination or real-life experiences, retrospection prompts pause. It invites us to recall people, places and products in history that changed our way of living while simultaneously instilling warmth and security – cherished feelings we need in this ever-changing world.

HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS Peggy Van Allen, President of Color Marketing Group “When we look at nostalgia … it’s our history and our experiences.

They make us who we are.”

Karl Bertilsson, Creative Director at NCS Colour “We can appeal to nostalgia if we understand where we are at in this trend cycle.”

Paul Haney, Industrial Design Director at General Electric Appliances “That’s what we do as industrial designers – solve problems.“

SEE THE INSPIRATION FOR PAUSE & REWIND

INDUSTRIES Small appliances, office furniture, architectural building products, plumbing fixtures, packaging, consumer goods

COLORS History leaves a lasting impression in the comfort and fondness of Pause & Rewind. The settling brown coolness of soil, peachy warmth of sand, and subtle gray veining of marble, paint the wistful landscapes of childhood memories. Preserved in the worn-leather journals of ancestors past, stored safely on sentimental wood-carved shelves, are tales of citrus green orchards and family melodramas that sparkle softly through the lens of nostalgia.

Sands of Time

Set in Stone

Per-spectacle

cultiv

vATE

Leatherbound

Heirloom

Dig Deeper

INDUSTRIES Small Appliances Office Furniture Architectural Building Products

Plumbing Fixtures Packaging Consumer Goods

Book the trip. Start the small business. Check off the bucket list.

Seize the opportunity because today is nonrefundable currency. The most valuable jewels of life – social connection, exploration and shared experience – shine brightly after global disruption. Humanity has proven itself to be fluid and adaptable, seamlessly pendulating from the digital to the physical world with the help of science and design. Piloted by health, spirituality and a thirst for wellness, individuals, workplaces and communities catapult into action in hopes of creating a more utopian future.

Enrolled in online Pilates class, check. Practicing mindfulness, check. Serving the community, check. Connected in our hybrid online and offline lives, we are thriving and living well. We are cannon-balling into a pool of life-enhancing possibilities.

HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS Paul Haney, Industrial Design Director at General Electric Appliances “People want to be expressive; and that could lead to more wild designs, more out-there designs.”

Peggy Van Allen, President of Color Marketing Group “It’s the subtleties within big cyclical changes that are important to corporations when figuring out product lines.”

Karl Bertilsson, Creative Director at NCS Colour “You want wellbeing in a city or an urban area. The more colors you have on the street, the more contrast … and the more people feel happy.”

INDUSTRIES Outdoor lifestyle, appliances, transportation, agricultural equipment, consumer goods, interiors, furnishings, packaging, sport utility, personal medical devices

SEE THE INSPIRATION FOR PUSH PLAY

COLORS Wildly daring yet mindfully humble, Push Play leaps into adventure. The flourishing blue depths of the ocean, accompanied by elemental shimmering golds and rosy coppers, capture the versatility of nature. Emboldened by the vigor of teal and confident optimism of yellow, physical and mental wellness thrive. As the ultimate form of currency, life experiences enrich the body and soul through the leafsprawled dirt of the forest floor and grounding connectivity of clay red.

Vagabon-voyage

Spirit-YOU-ality

Hybrid Humanity

Philia

Bio-fractal

Thrive

No. 2

INDUSTRIES

Outdoor Lifestyle Appliances Transportation Agricultural Equipment

Consumer Goods Interiors Furnishings

Packaging Sport Utility Personal Medical Devices

To invent is to imagine. Through vision and fantasy, ingenuity evolves, synergizing technology and humanity into one mystical multiverse. With time and space for both real and augmented experiences, the question becomes: what’s next? Via innovative artificial intelligence and cybernetics, the physical world and metaverse intertwine to create new opportunities in science, engineering and design that benefit humankind and the environment. Traveling to space for vacation, holographically attending school from your living room and cofunctioning with humanoid robots become possible.

Tomorrow depends on today’s forward-thinking. Guided by celestial bodies, love or the allure of the unknown, we conceptualize and then build the infrastructures that bridge the gap between the ethereal heart, the data-based mind and the experimental technology of the future.

HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS Peggy Van Allen, President of Color Marketing Group “I think AI will be used more and more when it comes to forecasting trends. And that is new to the equation.”

Cathy Hackl, Tech Futurist & Metaverse Growth Strategist “When something happens in a virtual space, it doesn’t make it less real.”

Paul Haney, Industrial Design Director at General Electric Appliances “One of the advantages of VR is color. We can go through 5, 10 colors and get feedback, which helps speed up the design cycle.”

INDUSTRIES Medical devices, automotive, transportation, technology, aerospace, energy, consumer electronics

SEE THE INSPIRATION FOR FAST FORWARD

Quantum Leap

COLORS Like the crackling of a lightning bolt, Fast Forward electrifies the blue-black mysticism that surrounds parallel universes. As humanity and technology evolve together, power dynamics shift from black to red, but are balanced by a fresh yet familiar white-gold. Signifying an open mind immune to ignorance, a soft purple chroma seeks the silver lining of both earthly and celestial rainbows. The heart, sustained by a regenerative brown, welcomes a futuristic space that sparks progression.

Ephemeris

Meta vs.

Immun.know

Si-ber-net-iks

evoLve

Black to the Future

INDUSTRIES

Medical Devices Automotive Transportation

Technology Aerospace

Energy Consumer Electronics

Set in Stone

Sands of Time

Spirit-YOU-ality

Vagabon-voyage

Hybrid Humanity

Philia

Per-spectacle

Thrive

Bio-fractal

cultiv

No. 2

ATE

Heirloom

CLICK EACH TRIANGLE TO VISUALIZE THE COLOR Leatherbound

Dig Deeper

Immun.know

Quantum Leap

Ephemeris

Si-ber-net-iks

evoLve

Meta vs.

Black to the Future

COLOR E VOLUTION

REDS

ORANGES

2019+

2019+ ACCEPTANCE

REBEL HEART

TAKE ACTION

2020+

NOURISH

ESSENTIAL SELF

2020+ PSYCHE

BE MY NEIGHBOR

UKUMBI

2021+

RURBAN

PHOENIX RISING

SANDS OF TIME

BIO-FRACTAL

2021+ HYBRID HUMANITY

BLACK TO THE FUTURE

LEATHERBOUND

YELLOWS

GREENS

2019+

2019+ STAY GOLDEN

2020+

HAVEN

GROW UP!

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

METAMORPHOSIS

A-LICHEN-ING

GRASSROOTS

VAGABON-VOYAGE

THRIVE

CULTIVATE

2020+ ENRICHED

THE PAPER BAG

2021+

2021+ SPIRIT-YOU-ALITY

NO. 2

Explore the evolution of colors from A Spark of Familiarity and Own, our previous color trend forecasts, to new introductory colors within Perspectives.

BLUES

VIOLETS

2019+

2019+ TECHNO ELECTRO

PERSPECTIVE

IN THE MIDST

HIGH HOPES

BEYOND STELLAR

2020+

MARIANA’S TRENCH

MOVEMENT

BOOTES VOID

2020+ FILTERED FATE

TRASH MONEY

REWILDING

ANTHROAPOLOGY

RESILIENCE

2021+

METAMORPHOSIS

2021+ PER-SPECTACLE

THRIVE

META VS.

IMMUN.KNOW

WARM NEUTRALS

COOL NEUTRALS

2019+

2019+ IN TOUCH

SHINRIN-YOKU

NUDETRALITY

URBANEYES

2020+

2020+ INTERFACE

FOR[A]GE

EQUALITY

2021+

SENSORIUM

UNCERTAINTY

AUTHENTICITY

QUANTUM LEAP

SI-BER-NET-IKS

EPHEMERIS

2021+ HEIRLOOM

DIG DEEPER

PHILIA

EVOLVE

SET IN STONE

THAN K YOU, TA- COU M BA AIKEN ART + WO RK On behalf of the team at the Sherwin-Williams DesignHouse, we thank Ta-coumba Aiken for the extraordinary opportunity to connect his art to our work. As demonstrated in this color forecast, as well as everyday life, perspectives are unique to the eye of the beholder.

The artist’s “Face to Face to Face” exhibit expresses the multifaceted and multidimensional story we set out to capture – reflecting this unparalleled time in history.

With gratitude that extends beyond words and art, we thank you, Ta-coumba Aiken, for your creativity and inspirational perspective.

© 2021 Ta-coumba T. Aiken

TA- COUMBA T. AIKEN

“ I C R E AT E M Y A R T TO H E A L T H E H E A R T S A N D SOULS OF PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES B Y E V O K I N G A P O S I T I V E S P I R I T. ” Ta–coumba is a Twin Cities artist, arts

and the City of Minneapolis. He has been the

administrator, educator and community activist

recipient of awards including a Pollock–Krasner

who focuses on public art and collaborative

Foundation Fellowship and a Bush Foundation

projects. His “rhythm paintings” on paper and

Visual Arts Fellowship. His painting entitled,

canvas are loose and lively. He has participated

“Forever Saint Paul” was awarded the Guinness

in the creation of over 300 murals and public

Book World Record for the most Lite-Brite

art sculptures with themes ranging from local

pegs ever used (596,000+) to create a painting.

history to the artist’s own style of rhythmic

This piece is permanently located in the Saint

pattern and spirit writing. The artist has

Paul Union Depot. His works can be found

served on the boards of the Minneapolis Arts

in public and private collections including

Commission, the African American Cultural

those of the Walker Art Center, The McKnight

Arts Center, Forecast Public Arts, and the

Foundation, General Mills, Herbie Hancock, Taj

St. Paul Art Collective and has acted as an

Mahal, and Maya Angelou.

advisor on the arts for both the City of St. Paul

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE IT The Sherwin-Williams DesignHouse is a unique space where teams convert inspiration into implementation. A first-of-itskind facility for the industrial sector, the DesignHouse – located in Minneapolis, MN – helps you bring new colors and products to market conscientiously and quickly.

VELOCITY PROGRAM Proposals to approvals, fast

EMBRACE COLOR A robust spectrum of possibilities

Our innovative Velocity Color Development Program shortens the distance between your concept and reality, expediting product development timelines and streamlining color creation. Our color experts work with you to achieve new, complex finishes and ensure color harmony across a range of technologies – delivering results in just a few iterations.

At DesignHouse, we understand the power of color.

Dedicated to collaboration and driven by curiosity, our team is comprised of color authorities who provide expertise on how to produce finishes that consumers want. Together, we can formulate coatings that have the appearance and performance properties your products need.

SERVICES & WORKSHOPS - Half- or full-day sessions, customized up to 5 days Color Palette Analysis

Trend Forecast Presentations

Color Collection Curation Workshop

Trend Development Workshops

Color Marketing & Merchandising

Trend Methodology Seminars

Color Development Workshop

Custom Industry & Product Trend Directions

To schedule a trend forecast experience for your team, contact your Sherwin-Williams representative or email us directly at swdesignhouse@sherwin.com.

REFERENCES “Perspective.” Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/perspective. Accessed 26 July 2021. [pg. 5] “Perspective.” Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/perspective. Accessed 26 July 2021 [pg. 5]

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TREND FORECAST VOL. 3 © 2021 The Sherwin-Williams Company GI-399413-03 9/21

Colors shown are an approximate match.