Colour trends - what is it with yellow?

Pages from Shannon Fricke's beautiful book "Sense of style - colour"

It's not so long ago that I disliked the colour yellow. In fact it's not too strong to say that I HATED it. I'd see a yellow car and think 'how could they drive that'! Or a yellow shirt - yuck! Maybe it's to do with the fact that yellow against my skin makes me look sick (I'm more the pink tone), unlike many of my family who have yellow based skin tone and look great in earthy colours and all the ones I don't. And also it had been out of fashion for ages. So I've always considered myself not a 'yellow person'...

Then I start seeing it popping up in things I've admired, coveted or even (gasp) own! It all started to make sense when I read a recent article in Insideout magazine which points out that yellow was Pantone's colour of the year for 2009 (Pantone, the world-renowned authority on colour ). Aha! The subconsious often works to trick us.


Yellow at home

I find it fascinating to see how trends work, how they filter through society and end up in our lives in many different ways. In my career as a graphic designer I've been exposed to all sorts of colour prejudice "Can you do it in pink? My wife likes pink" etc. It's pretty hard to escape a trend, even if you try hard ('you can run, but you can't hide', as they say). It can take people a while to embrace something new. I've heard lots of "I hate" statements that were later withdrawn (she says sheepishly) once a trend was fully embraced in our society.


Yellow in design
(top left Florence Broadhurst print cushions - photo InsideOut magazine, top right Eames rocker - photo Life Interiors, bottom left Ikea Trollsta sideboard, bottom right - photo InsideOut magazine)

So, viva la yellow! Please forgive me, I'll never say I hate you again (though you're still not welcome in my wardrobe - damn that pink-toned skin :-)

* have a look here for Pantone's colour of the year for 2010 - try to guess it before you look