Are you showing a little SKIN?

Are you seeing red? How about orange?

These are just a few of the hot colors that the Color Marketing group is forecasting for 2005. Further, the color influences are by good design, cultural mosaics, and luxury splits. In turn, these allow an individual to discover and adapt to fit individual taste rather than mindlessly purchasing prepackaged sets no matter what the product.

What does this mean for you as an individual and as a business owner? If your designer has laid out the strong foundation for your ID & branding scheme, I wouldn't encourage you to touch or even modify it (see Research is Beauty and Importance of the Inukshuk) since this design research and effort is to provide you with a solid stance within your business community.

However, I would recommend adding a little punch & spice (see Flower Power) to your collateral. Only do this if your collateral is a short-lived entity that promotes an event being held once within this season. Perhaps a little zing of orange may be what our branding could use, for instance, but not on a take-away that we hope to reprint several times this year without modifications. Making modifications time and again only cost and don't serve well to your bottom line.

Design Thought Strategy
Strategy vs Tactical The strategists in us remember that we need to keep our business facade and messaging fresh but consistent through-out the long run.

The tactical advisor adds that when adding a splash of color, make sure:

1. It complements your branding scheme; and
   
2. It fits your demographic

I can't emphasize enough to please remember to be thoughtful of your audience (see Creative Thinking vs Productivity) -as you don't want to lose your message because you thought flamingos would be too cool on your business card.