Every year color experts at paint companies develop color trend forecasts for consumers and industry. There are many variables that affect the direction of design and color. Trends develop over the course of time. Demographics, changing consumer desires, social and economic changes and technology all converge, or come together, to influence color themes.

When it comes to designing interior living spaces color is arguably the most important aspect of an interior design scheme. It helps coordinate all of the design elements together to create one mood that is trying to be captured in a particular space.

Nothing changes a room faster than color. Especially during hard economic times with an unhealthy housing market. Regardless of the purpose, a fresh coat of paint remains one of the most economical ways to change our living environments.

Color trends for 2010 take inspiration from a variety of social and economic influences. For this year’s article, Coatings World asked a panel of experts to address the key trends influencing color design at the moment. Color is so important, according to Richard Prime, communications manager, NCS Colour AB, in fact “it’s probably one of the only aspects of a design or project that can be translated to the viewer, audience or market in seconds, which is often the amount of time it takes for a customer to make a buying decision. I’d go as far as saying it is the single most important aspect of the design process for anyone wanting to create a commercially or critically successful item.”

You will hear more from our panel of color experts from the likes of Kelly-Moore, Valspar, PPG, The Paint Quality Institute, NCS Colour AB, Resene and California Paints.

Also in this issue, Kerry Pianoforte explores trends in the “green” coatings market, talking to key players including Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Mythic Paint. Pianoforte says the market is driven primarily by increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and to a lesser degree, increasing consumer interest in buying environmentally friendly products and the growing popularity of green building standards, most notably the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) initiative.

Lastly, for this year’s annual resins market update, Coatings World asked a panel of experts to address key issues facing the market including the economy, new technology and strategies for moving forward in 2010. The panel is made up of individuals from some of the world’s largest and most diverse resins suppliers including BASF, Eliokem, DSM NeoResins+ and Celanese. These companies are at the forefront of developing new resin technology that is helping the coatings industry evolve into the future.