Colour Fest

Color Vision 2020-21 by Nippon Paint India is a well-researched colour forecast which highlights the zonal and youth colour-tendencies of India.

Compiled by: BI Staff
Photographs: courtesy Nippon Paint India

Over a year ago, Nippon Paint India (Decorative Division) and colour expert Dr Kaustav SenGupta joined hands to create the first ever free-to-access zonal and youth colour forecast for India. For the Color Vision 2020-21, the brand got together 114 individuals — influencers, industry experts, peer leaders, social catalysts and colour-thinkers — from varied industries and formed six focus groups. The discussions, round tables and colour-mapping workshops these groups participated in led to the final forecast compilation.

The immersive focus groups were guided with the colour-image-emotion association model and Dr Kaustav SenGupta’s copyright system of Color-Consciousness, apart from other tools and systems. Along with Nippon Paint’s core team, all the events were coordinated and curated by Dr Kaustav SenGupta and his team of visual analysts and designers from NIFT Chennai.

This 20-21 Nippon Color Vision mega tendency is the first ever zonally categorised home colour forecast in India for better focus and agility of themes and colour preferences in each zone. The Forecaster and Nippon Paint team believes that every zone in India has its distinct mind-set and colour preferences which needs to be celebrated for its uniqueness. Hence, the forecast is elaborately divided into ‘North Zone’ and ‘South Zone’. Additionally, they have curated a well-segmented category called ‘YOUth’ which is specially developed for the millennials and Gen Z of India.

North 
Six beautiful collections comprising of 28 shades is available in the North range.

NOW: The ‘Noise of Wilderness’ is about discovering ones own voice through the art of listening. In this world ‘noise’ has become more reliable than pure visuals, blurring the line between what’s real and what’s fake. It is more important than ever to look within and come out of the shell with a voice that is unique to oneself. There are seven subtle hues introduced here: Whispering White, Violet Whisper, Bright Lime, White Lilac, Velvet Touch, Battlestone and Carribean Cruise.

consuME: An onslaught of information, a tsunami of zettabytes — every day we are exposed to content at a rate faster than the mind can grasp. The only way to escape this digital tidal wave is to take a sabbatical, a period of hibernation from the world of likes, comments and shares. ‘You are enough’ will be the mantra of 2020-21. Six bright and earthy colours are offered here: Yellow Submarine, Turned Earth, Free Spirited, Firelights, Forever Young and Lake Alone.

Humapathy: Being conscious of others and respecting the concept of ‘existence’ are feelings that will grow in the coming year. The possession of empathy or the lack of it, apathy, will decide our existence. We will become more aware of the eco-footprint, while social walls will crumble. Nine pastel shades form this collection: Merry Old Soul, Celery Stick, Blue Wool, Blue Jive, Slight Tempo, Snow White, Courtyard Green, Pebble Walk and Green Treat.

LO+VE: Love positivity will be a predominant theme for 2020-21. Love for oneself — both our digital and real personas — and the love of well-being will define our homes. Calming hues, six in all forms this ensemble: Blue Mercury, Spellbound, Artist’s Loft, Single Petal, Blue Signature and Sunday Morning.

South
There are four variants in the South range with 29 ravishing colours in the offing.

Blendentity: Blendentity is a theme for those who believe in respecting individuality in a group. Eight vivacious colours form this collection: Pearly Shell, Circus Top, Hot Spice, Sashay Red, Khaki Pack, Greenway, Barbara Blue and Gold Paint Solitary Shadow.

SLOLI: Life moves at such a fast pace that we don’t have time to slow down and savour the moments that matter. The speed at which we live is taking a toll on our relationships and overall health. SLOLI deals with the themes of well-being, health and blossoming relationships. The theme will also explore ways to show compassion towards the environment. The seven hues in this group includes: Iris Tip, Teal Stone, Granite Rock, Garden Earth, To Dream, Old Stucco and Out At Sea.

S P A C E: We always dream of a courtyard-like space for fearless interaction. A space for everyone to express their ideas and communicate their thoughts. The emergence of neo-cultural movements through Gen Next Art, music and literature will further strengthen this concept going forward. Seven raw natural hues dominate this collection: Chronatella, Southwest Stone, Firebrush, Dormant Gray, Brunette, Dark Exploration and Absolute Yellow.

Soul Code: “Who am I?” It’s the question that many don’t have the answer to. It’s also the starting point of self-discovery. Of going on a journey that explores roots and reflects on tradition. Soul Code celebrates the eternal voyage to find the “new me” in the midst of rapid urbanisation. Seven colours burrowed from the earth makes this collection: Silver Lining, Marsh Marigold, Sunbaked, Orange Torch, Fashion Red, High Treck and Parrot Green.

YOUth
Happy, bright and voguish, the 59 colours introduced in this collection have been created taking into account the following factors…

Qur!ous: In a world where the youth is bombarded with targeted, media-curated messages, the concept of natural curiosity has slowly started to fade away. Asking questions is fast becoming a forgotten art. Qur!ous, as the name suggests, celebrates the freedom to ask questions, get surprised and learn more.

Flawsome: Everyone is different, which means everybody sees and interprets the world through their own eyes. Flawsome is about recognising the power of individuality and expressing it through colours, DIY experiments and personal statements.

Atracktivism: We live in a time when being ‘followed’ and ‘tracked’ are the metrics by which social supremacy is judged. Unfortunately, this has led to privacy being relegated to the bottom of the table. The best way to ‘hide’ from being tracked is to escape ‘beyond reach’ to a place where ‘human network’ is not available.

GE-O-GRO: It’s time to give digital existence and armchair activism a break. Your ‘ground’ could be about fighting for the right reasons, actively participating in environmental renovation or taking simple measures to make earth a better place — like cycling to work or walking barefoot. The GE-O-GRO theme encourages low-tech artisanal DIY activities, o-grid living and self-sustainable existence.

Purpassion: Living with no purpose is no way to live. This theme reflects the ideology of being driven by the passion of finding purpose, which starts by looking inwards. Be it finding the right profession or making a difference to the society, finding purpose has rightfully taken precedence in the lives of today’s youth.

Deepsleep: Anxiety, social competition, chaos, digital addiction — this is the season when everything that’s been keeping you awake takes a back seat. All the noise will make way for some well-deserved rest and rejuvenation.

Innocensuality: Innocensuality is about innocently making things sensual. The Insta-Lolitas and their innocence packed in the bottle of sensuality are spreading across the digital and non-digital space. The overtly loud erotic expressions are replaced with intellectualism, creativity and fitness bytes.

The Nippon Paint Color Vision forecast website is free-to-access and explorative in nature. It is also well segmented so that the designers, architects, design students and design enthusiasts can refer the stories for their colour inspirations and designing.