ICI Dulux launch ColourFutures 2006

ColourFutures is the communication tool created by a group of international colour consultants at ICI paints. The guide has been put together as a book distributed to 10,000 key companies and individuals within the interior design and décor industry, 500 of which are within the UAE. ColourFutures is the result of ongoing worldwide research forecasting the development of colour trends.

Chaired by Nicki Barton, Global Marketing Manager for ICI Paints, a team of international colour experts observe a wide range of industries and environments in order to plan and forecast colour trends for the coming year. These trends are drawn from customer focus groups from the world of fashion, architecture, music and popular culture.

Philip Mathew, General Manager, Al Gurg Leigh's Paint's said:

"ICI Paints prides itself on its knowledge of colour and paint formulations. This year the ColourFutures team identified yellow enhanced with a touch of green as the core colour for 2006. The ColourFutures book contains 57 colours extracted from the 2006 palette which was complied by ICI Paints earlier this year."

There are two key differences in the 2006 palette compared to the previous year. Firstly, there is now a greater sense of contrast between dark and light colours, and there has been a shift within each palette towards saturated colours and neutrality, where each palette has its true colour and a dedicated neutral colour.

ColourFutures predicts colour by identifying colour themes and key lifestyle themes. The ColourFutures team have predicted five key themes for 2006: stylised simplicity, active contrast, atmosphere, extravagance and reconstruction.

"Colour trends develop and change over time so it is important that we remain up-to-date with market trends. We invest so much time in understanding colour trends to remain a step ahead in our marketing and product development, helping us to produce products which fit market changes and customer requirements," added Mathew.

Aiming to offer the most comprehensive range of colours and finishes in the industry, ICI paints developed its own unique colour notation system, which it refers to as the 'master palette'. The role of this system is to make every colour precisely identifiable through its own reference number, which is made up of three distinctive parts: a hue reference, light reflective value (LRV) reference, and chroma value.

Al Gurg Leigh's Paints manufactures protective coatings under licence from Leigh's Paints, UK. High-quality Dulux decorative paints are manufactured under licence from ICI Paints, UK. AGLP manufactures and distributes the full range of paints under the Dulux, Leigh's, and Firetex brands.