Business & Industry
Color Preferences Linked to Economic
Climate, AkzoNobel Finds
People’s choice of color is strongly influenced by the state of the conomy, according to a detailed
analysis into color trends and consumer
behavior conducted by AkzoNobel, the
world’s largest paint and coatings company and supplier of brands such as
Dulux®, Flexa®, and Sikkens®.
When people feel confident and
hopeful about the economy, they tend
to prefer intense, bold colors. During
tougher times when they feel uncertain,
they seek out neutral tones—black,
white, and grays.
The research—which included studying the colors supplied by the company’s global Decorative Paints business—
shows that while
regional preferences can have an
impact on color
usage, trends in interior design have
been fluctuating
over the last few
decades as the
economy has
ebbed and flowed.
“At the end of
the 20th Century,
for example, neutrals were predominantly used. When
fear and uncertainty surrounding the
dawn of the new
millennium faded,
color began to
reappear in homes,
varying from
bright, vibrant colors to less saturated
tones,” says Stephanie Kraneveld, global
color training manager for AkzoNobel
Decorative Paints. “What we’re seeing at
Celanese Changes Name
of Performance Polymers
Business
Celanese Corp. has renamed its AT
Plastics Inc. business, which produces
ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer
and low density polyethylene (LDPE)
resin, to Celanese EVA Performance
Polymers Inc.
The name change is part of
Celanese’s plan to increase research and
development efforts regarding EVA and
LDPE and expand the business into
new markets.
The new name underscores Celanese’s commitment to this business via
its recent investment in the company’s
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, facility and
through its integration into the global
Celanese brand.
“In the past, under the AT Plastics
name, we supported our customers with
the development of specialized products that have been tailored to their application and manufacturing processes,”
says Michael Stubblefield, general manager of the business. “Recently, we embarked on a program of intensive research and development to create new
applications for EVA copolymers that
utilize the special performance properties of these materials in some exciting
end markets, such as the pharmaceuti-cal/medical and alternative energy industries. These applications require precision performance, high efficiency, and
long lifecycle—properties that we can
address very effectively with our EVA
products.”
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the moment is that in Western Europe,
sober whites and off-whites are the
most popular, while in the U.S. beige
and gray are dominant. In Asia, however, fresh colors such as clean yellows,
pink, and light blue are preferred,
which could well be related to the
local economy.”
Just as the economy fluctuates,
trends are likely to shift again in the
months and years ahead. “Mid-tones
will tend to predominate overall, with
cleaner off-whites and fewer heavy
shades evident, indicating a move to-
wards colors that are lighter in mood
and more optimistic in feeling, which
will lift our spirits as we move on from
the tough economic
times we’re currently
going through.”
The color trend
analysis conducted by
AkzoNobel is part of
the company’s Color
Futures TM program.
Color Futures provides
international style and
design trends for interiors and exteriors,
which have been
translated into color
trend palettes.
“We take great pride
in bringing color to
people’s lives,” says
Tex Gunning, member
of AkzoNobel’s Board
of Management responsible for Decorative Paints. “Our
Color Futures team has developed great
color expertise and is a major authority
in the development of color trends.”
The Color Features program has developed five color themes for next year
that reflect its color analysis: Silent
Space, Fluid Fantasy, Basic Beliefs, Free
Spirit, and Sweet Memory.
“We all know that color plays an important role in lifting human spirits, as
well as making a vital contribution to
the development of urban and global
communities, particularly in these
tough economic times,” says Gunning.
“Therefore each of the themes we have
developed for next year touches on the
message of optimism and starting
afresh.”
Bayer MaterialScience
Closes Resins Facility in WV
Bayer MaterialScience LLC has announced that it will close the Coatings,
Adhesives, and Specialties (CAS) resins
operations at its plant in New Martinsville, WV, by the end of 2009.
The polyesters, polyurethane dispersions, and polyaspartic esters that are
used in the automobile, furniture, and
construction industries will be consolidated into various other Bayer MaterialScience facilities. The New Martinsville site will continue to
manufacture a range of polyurethane
raw materials used in the same industries, plus Texin® thermoplastic
polyurethane.
The closure will affect approximately
40 employees, but they will be given the
opportunity to explore employment
within other parts of the company.
