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Colour Trends

Danger: How you Know you’ve Fallen for a Trend

By 07/30/2011January 4th, 202324 Comments

As you know, I’m working on a new website. It’s going to be full of bells and whistles and a huge transformation from what it is now. After my graphic designer and I had spent quite a bit of time working on my new logo I called him after all was said and done and said “I’m not in love with it, I just don’t feel like it’s right yet”. And this is what he said:


Source

“I don’t want you to have a trendy logo. I want you to have a logo that when people see it, they either love it or hate it. When you see the coke logo, you don’t say ‘I hate that logo’ you just recognize it as their brand. You like all those contemporary fonts right now because you see them everywhere.”

So here’s how you know you may be in love with a trend. . .

You’re out shopping and you see a gray linen slipcovered sofa (above) and you say ” Ooooooh I love that”.  And just a short 2 years ago, when you saw a brown sofa (below) you said “I love that, it’s so rich and warm”. The danger here is that you suddenly start buying a little too much of the current ‘trend colour’ which–by the way–is the farthest from timeless that you can possibly get.

source

So next time you catch yourself saying ‘I love that’, think twice before you buy. You might have enough of it in your house already.

ps. And by the way, I am still working on my logo because I’m obsessed and eeeeeek, maybe it’ll be trendy. You never know.

Related posts:

The Hottest Trend in Backsplash Tile for 2011

The Gray, Black and White Trend is here to Stay

What’s Next in Colour & Design for 2011

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24 Comments

  • Cote de Texas says:

    I cant wait to see your new logo. i went through all that, hired two diff. companies and never used what they suggested. then went with a third one. still not sure if its exactly what i wanted. who knows, maybe i'll hire yours if i love what he did for you.

  • Kathysue says:

    Maybe you will change your logo liek you do wall color. What ever you like go for it!!! You will evolve and change so your logo needs to rise up to who your are now!!! You will pick the right one, you have amazing taste. I am doing a series on Fridays where readers pose a question and my readers give them their answer in the comments. Todays question has to do with always wanting to change our decor even after we spent a lot of time and money on it. It kind of goes along with what you are saying about loving something one minute and changing to something later. It never ends in the design world!! Good luck with your header!! Kathysue

  • Shannon says:

    I always think you have to go with your gut. It doesn't sound like your logo is there yet? You'll know when it's right. Thanks for sharing the experience with your readers.

  • traci zeller designs says:

    I'm so excited to see what you choose, Maria! As you know, I recently changed my logo because I didn't feel as though the previous one reflected the type of work that I do. I adore my new logo … but it took a while to get there. I wonder, too, if designers are more particular clients … and perhaps more likely to want to update their branding materials more often?

  • Karena says:

    Maria, I understand completely,

    I have not ever changed my logo because I haven't found one that I love as much, does everyone else love it? I don't know? Go with what fits your style and wants for now, or for however long!

    xoxo
    Karena

    Art by Karena

  • Wendi @ Classic Chic Home says:

    What you say is so true about falling for trends. When a new colour saturates the market, I often find myself not liking it at first. I'm then won over and start loving it as I see it used in new and interesting ways. Those are the colours that I know aren't going to carry any longevity with me.
    Your logo is obviously very important to you. I hope you find one that the first moment you lay eyes on it, you KNOW – 'This is the one'.

  • The enchanted home says:

    Agree about what you said in falling for trends, I tend to not follow them so much, just like basic classic principles of design, if it just so happens its a trend then so be it, but I would never ever buy a main piece of furniture or expensive fabric because "its in". Its one thing to do that with clothing or shoes, but a whole different ball game with home furnishings.
    I look foward to seeing what you come up with, with your logo. Mostly I think you have to feel it represents YOU and what you stand for. They always say if you follow whats inate and feels "right" the rest will come easy…..

  • Victoria - Ozarks Crescent Mural says:

    I like what you have across the top of your blog, but I'm new here, so that's probably not your new logo. But if it's anything like that, then it will be great.

  • From This Perch says:

    Hang in there – you are in the middle of the process. Like a road trip from Vancouver to Alabama, you can't see Alabama when you are in Colorado and wonder if you are going in the right direction.
    I agree with your designer. If he is doing his job, your logo will be right for YOU!
    Can't wait to see the finished project.

  • Barbara Bussey {The Treasured Home} says:

    We will be waiting with great anticipation to see what you finally decide on!
    Cheers!,
    Barbara

  • Ann says:

    Can't wait to see your new logo…

    It will sure be nice and so fit with your website ♥

  • Donna says:

    Hi Maria, I'm so excited that you are doing a new website and can't wait to see it. How fun to design a new one. I'd love to do that..and have expert advice. Perhaps one day when we aren't buying so many teenagers new clothes..LoL!

    I get what you are saying here. I think the same thing happens with clothes. I can remember thinking how odd everyone looked in capris. Why would everyone want pants ending at the middle of their calves? Before you know it, I was wearing them and thought they looked darling.

    Colors get stuck in my 'brain' too and I find myself spotting them and liking them.

    But when it comes to furniture..I buy what I love and that includes my brown couch. :o) I love BOTH rooms you showed above. I think it would be hard to ignore that trend tendency when it is so 'unconcious'. Thanks for helping us 'see' it.

    xo
    Donna

  • Mary Anne says:

    Good Morning Maria:

    As a designer, there is no one who understands the issues at hand. I love your tasteful blogsite and you have really helped shine light for me in the past…..and color is one of my strengths!

    I really do need to hire someone to do my header once and for all. I change my header from time to time depending on the season. Don't know if that is good or not. I don't change my business cards so why should I be changing my header?
    The everchangiong world of design could make us all nuts, but I guess this is what I love.

    Don't settle for anything less than what you truly love. . . . you will feel it when you see it and BINGO that will be it!

    Good Luck Maria!

    Mary Anne

  • Donna says:

    Hi Maria, Thanks for the sweet comments. :o) BTW, I wish I could have gotten my post up before you dropped by. Your post on Gray and skinny jeans..and some of the comments inspired today's post. So I linked to your post on the gray and brown discussion as the catalyst. You would like this. It's about a fabulous writer from France who wrote a book, "Why French women don't get fat.". As soon as I read about her and her French Woman's manifesto, I knew she was someone you would admire.:o)

    xo
    Donna

  • Red River Interiors says:

    Maria:

    At the end of the day you just gotta love it…what's trendy today may not be tomorrow. Go with what you love. Can't wait to see your new site.

  • Thandi says:

    On the philosophical side I just wonder if trends aren't part of the human condition that we should embrace. Should we constantly try to fight our desire to like what everyone else does? Surely certain trends do date, but they also make us feel connected to something bigger and something current. So many people have such disdain for the idea of being 'caught' in a trend. But instead I choose to think of the timelessness of the colour spectrum, just because certain colours are being pushed by corporations doesn't mean they are a corporate creation. The have and will always exist to the human eye.

    PS. We're currently building our new home and I have chosen a warm grey neutral for many of the walls… Right on trend 🙂

  • Maria Killam says:

    Hi Thandi,
    I totally agree The point of my post is that so many people fall in love with the trendy 'neutral' of the moment. Decide that it's 'safe' and decorate their entire house in it. Then when the next trend 'neutral' arrives on the scene like the switch from brown to gray they fall out of love and can't afford to redo everything that soon. So yes paint your walls gray (mine are gray as well) but then introduce colours that you love that make the gray a fabulous backdrop and then your house won't scream 'the brown trend' or 'the gray trend'.
    Thanks for your comment

  • Maria Killam says:

    Also contrary to what most people think, trend colours are chosen by 'corporations' or colour forecasting organizations like the CMG of which I'm a member are forecasted based on what people are buying and how they are decorating right now. There is no one sitting somewhere behind a curtain 'choosing next colours for consumers to buy'. It's the consumer who dictates where it's going.
    Maria

  • kristie@thedecorologist says:

    THE most important thing is that it feels like "you" to you. I underwent a complete branding change (company name, logo, & website) back in October. It was so scary to make that leap, but I knew it was absolutely necessary for me. Some people may not "get" it or even be able to spell it (yikes), but it is about as "me" as it gets and it's a great fit for me. I drove the guy who designed my logo crazy with all my changes and modifications, and ultimately, my own vision of it, but I realized he only had a limited understanding of who I was and who my audience is. Maybe I'm just a control freak. Ok, that's no maybe . . .

  • Brandi says:

    As I establish our first house this thought scares me! Even the basics are expensive and starting from scratch is hard! I have no doubt my tastes will change as I age but I'm prepared for that. It's the trendy things that have me worried!

  • Anonymous says:

    I don't know. Some trends (suzanis) I adore and others (subway tile) I like when they first appear and continue to dislike after they've been around a decade. I agree with Kristie — sometimes it just has to be "you." Jeanine

  • Nanette says:

    love the decor in these rooms. It is so unique..

  • Ellen says:

    I always say to clients if you see it everywhere, the trend has peaked & its time to move on. palettes are popularized by magazines, Tv & builders. Once its entrenched, the market is saturated & folks with vision are already looking for new & fresh approaches.

  • Lisa says:

    Do you have source info for the gray linen sofa? I so need that double sized chaise lounge thing !

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