The Color Authority™

Montaha will shed a light on her international background and how this has influenced her color career and the many color differences  and influences among the regions in the world. She has been tracking color cycles from the early 2000's to better predict future trends and will highlight an interesting cycle that she has seen comeback in this year. Being part of Color Marketing Group and working on the Executive Committee as VP of Color Forecasting is what kept her going in these restrictive times, as she explains the importance of being part of a color tribe and its network. 

Montaha Hidefi is a Canada-based, internationally celebrated color archeologist, writer, and public speaker. As a Color Archeologist her role involves examining and observing the past tendencies, to understand the present trends and interpret the future color forecast for business purposes.

With an extensive background in the coatings industry, color forecasting, marketing strategy and international business, she established color forecast palettes and color trend books concepts for many companies around the world.

Montaha lectured about color and trends virtually and in-person in countless trade shows, conferences, and universities, and conducted workshops on color around the world.

She participated and contributed as color forecasting panelist on many global organization committees such as the Mix Magazine, MoOD Textiles Trend Book, and Dutch Design Trend Book. Her articles on color and trends were published in trade publications such as Door Security and Safety, PCI Magazine, Powder Coating, Powder Coated Tough, Product Finishing, Rugs News andDesign, Retail Environment, and PPCJ.

Montaha is the author of Groping for Truth – My Uphill Struggle for Respect (2018), The Role of Color in Design (2019), and co-author of Colour Design: Theories and Applications (2012, and 2017).

She currently serves as VP Color Forecasting at Color Marketing Group.

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Such a joy to speak to my energetic friend Marta Aymerich who talks about how she unleashes creativity as a lifestyle coach using of course color. She will explain in detail the methodology she uses in innovation workshops with her clients but also how important  enjoying the journey in creative processes truly is in a world where people and businesses are so focused on the end result. Marta unveils her life vision, the societal trends she sees and how happiness is a choice. She wakes up in the morning and draws her to-do lists in color, dresses in the color that best represents her emotions that very day. The biggest purpose in life she says, is to be you, to be yourself. 

Marta Aymerich was born in Barcelona where she currently still lives and works. She is an open-minded graphic designer with multidisciplinary skills with more than 30 years of experience, she applies an holistic vision and a sustainable attitude to all her projects. Her inspiration and motivation comes from sharing her passion for art, colour, design and lifestyle, by helping her clients solve challenges in a creative yet practical approach.

Currently she is specialised in creativity and innovation processes as a creative coach.

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Patricia brings us on a journey through her professional life in the world of decorative paint in a very specific market, Brazil. What colors define the Brazilians, how do they decorate their homes and what color trends can we expect for Latin America in the next years. She will reveal the Sherwin Williams Company trend research methodology and the importance of collaboration when working on color palettes and harmonisation processes. Although its many difficulties, Brazilians continue to shine and the Patricia her energy during this talk reflects that.

Patrícia Fecci works as Color Marketing and Design Services Manager of the Sherwin-Williams Company in Brazil, one of the largest paint manufacturers and distributors in the world.  She is responsible for all color support to company-owned stores, dealers, home centers and assists with color systems, country-specific color palettes, design trends, color merchandising, training and new business development.  She is part of the Sherwin-Williams Global Color Forecast Team that tracks and forecasts color trends and design influences for the coatings industry, creating and giving color presentations to architects and designers.

Patrícia is member of the Color Marketing Group Association and Vice-President of PROCOR Brasil Association. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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 of 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. 

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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.

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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. 

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