The Color Authority™

Olga will reveal how she transforms spaces with their unique energy into a home for her clients, the importance of feeling a space, an aesthetic, a textile, a color before starting a project. Why is color so important in her life and how does she apply color in her interiors? How does the world of art influence her work and how did her love for art start? Listen to our talk and learn about Olga her rich heritage growing up in Mexico City and how its culture and folklore influences Olga her color choices for her projects. 

Olga Hanono is a Mexican-born designer with a traditional cultural upbringing and deep passion for aesthetics, beautiful objects, and space. Her charismatic and playful personality comes through her original designs that are no subject to rules or limitations. She transforms every space into an unusual adventure. 

Olga has a natural affinity with art and her projects are a combination of uniqueness and glamour, setting trends in the design world and attracting numerous awards (she has been referred to as the IT Designer, the rock star of design and the 2017 designer revelation). Hanono has her own brand textiles and wallpaper collection. She loves exploring new materials and novel/alternative solutions for creating a space: mixing patterns, colors, textures and following her intuition to create interiors of the highest standard and taste, incorporating carefully curated objects and art. She published “the art of beautiful living” by the prestigious publisher ASSOULINE, she offered a press conference at the national palace Bellas Artes in Mexico City and at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City. 

HAPPINESS is her major motto and she embrace it with creative solutions aimed at a luxury lifestyle.

As a great storyteller, Mark takes us all on a journey of color aha moments, color misperceptions and some color stories that marked his career. We will talk about getting the color right for a client as he reveals some interesting tactics. As a writer, he is very much involved in naming and describing color, an intriguing process that is more demanding as it may seem at first yet very fun! 

Mark Woodman, a passionate designer, trend-spotter, educator, writer and speaker, designs interiors, consults on diverse product lines, and contributes to the pages and airwaves of media, and the stages of international exhibitions.

Mark consults for individuals and international corporations. including Corian® Design, Mid-Mark, Canadian Tire’s Premier Paint Collection, Blackfin Realty, and more. Mark Woodman’s aesthetic understanding as an interior designer of “real-life” balances his approach to design, color, and product specification. He is former president of Color Marketing Group, serves on various color panels, and is an accredited CEU educator.

A spirited speaker, Mark frequently lectures on color and design and his unique perspective allows him to weave narratives and solutions of design and color from influences as diverse as cuisine and fashion, to home décor.  

Her sensitive character clearly comes forward in our conversation as Pavo explains how she picks up sensitivities in her direct environment, how she observes her own behaviour and feelings to understand which design direction to take. She will reveal how she picks the colors for her designs and how texture and fabric come into play.  What advise does she have for young fashion designers, how does Pavo translate her fantasy-like dreams into a wearable collection, what is it like to work with your family day in and out and what is next for the Mexican world of fashion? 

Pavo and Pamela Wong are the bright entrepreneurs behind the Mexican ready-to-wear fashion brand PINK MAGNOLIA.

It was Pavo, the creative dreamer, who began sewing custom designs during college (CENTRO) and selling them at the first Pink Magnolia small store in Polanco, Mexico City. At only 21 years old, Pavo quickly found herself with a growing reputation and a demand for her eye catching clothing and silhouettes. Not long after, she convinced her sister Pamela to step into a business advisory role, cementing the perfect balance and family legacy.

From there, a succession of opportunities came in the form of a Mercedes Benz Fashion Week runway invitation (one of many), and highly successful collaborations with Disney (like Lanvin, Pink Magnolia was tapped to design a wardrobe in honor of Minnie Mouse’s birthday), and Barbie; propelling the Pink Magnolia brand to global status.

With recent features in WWD, Vogue Mexico & Latin America, Marie Claire Hong Kong, and a spot amongst Forbes Magazine’s “Under 30 Rising Stars,” Pink Magnolia is forging a path for the woman who shines inside and out.

Gustavo is one of these persons that strongly believes in the fact that color can enact change for the good. In our talk we will talk about the colors of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and how his latest campaign for June Pride month and now Pride History month had inspired him and his team. He will talk about the great social difficulties in Latin America and how he believes that color can create community, awareness and even empathy. From the March 8th purple coloured protests for women rights in Mexico City to the green coloured scarf movement in Buenos Aires for the legalisation of abortion, color is definitely assisting us in creating change. 

Gustavo Castillo is Partner and Creative Director of Estudio CH; a multidisciplinary creative agency part of the Coolhuntermx group, focused on developing brand identities, conceptualisation, execution of experience design and the generation of multimedia content.

Working with accounts in Mexico, Latin America and Europe, such as Comex, Adidas, Reebok, Johnny Walker, Bombay, as well as clients with local and national emerging products. Gustavo has more than 10 years of experience in the creative industry. 

His restlessness has led him to diversify and work in other disciplines such as creative direction for streetwear brands and restaurants, art installation (Carnaval de Bahidorá 2020), and most recently the cinematographic direction of the documentary Generación Espontánea.

Ramon Morató is the first person on my podcast who is not a color expert or a designer, yet his creativity in the world of chocolate and pastry is highly inspiring. He will teach us how he uses color in his daily life, where he finds inspiration for his creations and what food trends he sees coming. We will discuss the challenges of colouring food naturally in a world that requires healthy food yet still wants to indulge.  How can color innovate a bonbon, how is the world of desserts changing through our past experiences and what are important life lessons for young chefs out there? 

Born in Manlleu, Barcelona into a family with no connections whatsoever to the world of confectionery, after completing his studies, Ramon Morató began his training in a number of different establishments.

He combined his studies with numerous courses offered at the school of the Barcelona Provincial Confectioners’ Association. During a period of stages at several of the best Spanish confectioners, he also went to important schools and technical centers such as ZDS Solingen, Germany and the Richard Conseil School in Lyon, France. 

As the result of these years of work, his experience and his ongoing desire for innovation, he published “RAMON MORATO Chocolate”, which won the Best Cookbook in the World on the subject of Chocolate in 2007 at the distinguished Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. 

More recently, in December 2016 he published the book “Four in One” together with chefs Raul Bernal, Josep Maria Ribé and Miquel Guarro, on the occasion of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Chocolate Academy in Barcelona.

The possibility of connecting with many professionals in different fields gave him ample knowledge of the sector and helped him to realize his passion for teaching, researching and creating products related with the world of confectionery. 

In recent years, this has brought him to teach courses, seminars and conferences all over the world, as well as special endeavors such as a collaboration project with Harvard University through the Alicia Foundation. 

Currently he is Creative Director for the Cacao Barry brand.

Karl Johan Bertilsson is an intriguing person as you will hear, a great storyteller as he brings us along his journey towards color from a scientific point of view to the psychologic part of color as we will touch upon the topic of color semiotics. He will explain how one can communicate in color, how we may connect to others through color and use color as a an important message. Karl will highlight the fascinating differences in color perception between the European, Latin American, Russian and Chinese market. Teaching color is his true purpose and this comes forward very clearly in our chat. 

Karl originally studied Applied Linguistics and he ran his own language school in Mexico for 11 years. In 1997 he moved back to Sweden and switched to the color language of NCS, becoming responsible for establishing NCS world wide. Since 1997, his full focus has been to support different Industries, the Architect and Design Community and Universities with color solutions.

His first Color Trend work shop was with CMG in 2007 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and since then he has worked continuously with colour trends globally, responsible for the NCS colour trends.

In 2016 he established his own design company MRKRL AB, offering design solutions of interiors, products and branding where the aesthetics, the function and meaning of colour always have a central function. His clients are mainly based in China, Europe and Russia. All of this while still consulting for NCS Colour AB as a Creative Director.

The international guru of color speaks about her journey to color, how her fame has influenced her career path and how she continues to advocate for color and its correct application. Where does she find her inspiration? How do you research color and what to keep in mind when selecting color? Leatrice talks about the importance of sharing your knowledge, connecting  with like-minded and the importance of listening to your creative self as Lee gives some valuable advice. Lastly, she will reveal her new objective for the upcoming years. 

Leatrice “Lee” Eiseman is director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training and Executive Director of the Pantone® Color Institute.
Lee is a professional color specialist who is often called the international color guru. Her color expertise is recognised worldwide, particularly as executive director of the Pantone® Color Institute.

Lee has been widely quoted in many publications and recognised by Fortune Magazine and the Wall St. Journal as one of the most influential people in the world of color. She is the author of ten books on color.

Today, she is available as a corporate color consultant and a sought-after speaker. She also offers online courses on color theory and personal image color training.

The Color Authority™ was invited to the World Chocolate Masters podcast of Cacao Barry!

This episode gives exclusive insights from Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Naomi Wahl, Color Designer and Founder of The Color Authority™ Judith van Vliet and Product Decorations Expert at Barry Callebaut Astrid Remaut.

Eating with your eyes is part of every meal, dessert or snack. And color plays a key role in that. If food looks good, we expect it to taste good, and do something good for us. Color also brightens our mood; it can evoke freedom or optimism. It has the power to spread joy and happiness. Even before you have set your teeth in it.

But what does the future of food colouring hold? With customers flocking towards healthy alternatives and being conscious about everything artificial, does food coloring even have a place? Natural colors and flavours seem like the way to go. But where do you start?
And what are their limits?

In my talk with Cacao Barry I talked about the fact that up to 85% of the products we buy are influenced by color making it a powerful tool in the arsenal of artisans and chefs. A clear example that most customers are aware of themselves, is their favourite color. Most people know they are (uncons- ciously or not) drawn to that.

But the use of color goes much further than that. Color influences everyone on a daily basis. It catches your eye, it influences your mood, it has the power to in- crease the attractiveness of your creations, and add freshness and novelty to what you’re making.

What are the future food trends? What colors rule todays' market and what colors will be trending in the world of chocolate and pastry in the near future?  Interesting also to know....what colors to avoid in the food industry. 

During this talk I got totally nostalgic about the automotive world as I talked to Dominik Eisend. Dominik discusses in detail the strict automotive color selection process during his previous jobs at Europe's most important automotive OEM's. His passion for automobiles and all that is mobility has deeply affected his career as he explains the different steps he made to where he is today. His continuous curiosity leads him to create with color and material on a daily basis while staying on trend for what is happening in the near and far future of mobility and transportation. Where is this market going and what colors will reflect the needs of today's consumer?

Dominik Eisend steers & drives Merck’s global Pull Marketing activities within surface solutions, always focusing on design & technology at automotive OEMs. He introduces new trends and stylings and listens closely to what is needed in the market to be able to present the right creations at the right time.
 
Dominik has a background in transportation interior design focusing on materials and CMF. Prior to his role at Merck he has worked for several OEMs such as Mercedes-Benz, AMG and FORD as well as for a German-Chinese automotive start up called BORGWARD where he was leading the Color&Trim design team.
 
He loves to work with materials or to experiment with new technology to generate material driven design experiences. He looks at color and surfaces to play an incremental role for good product design. In his eyes the material design will play the most influential role in the future of mobility. Dominik currently resides in Stuttgart, Germany. 

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.