13th February, Tuesday, Bengaluru: Nippon Paint India (Decorative) recently launched its Color Vision Book for 2024-2025 at Outdoor Connections, Bengaluru. Color Vision is the result of Nippon Paint’s collaboration with the renowned color expert Dr. Kaustav Sengupta from the National Institute of Fashion Technology and Color Consultant for Nippon Paint India.
The second edition of the Color Vision forecasts color palettes for the youth and divisions (regional zones) for the first time, celebrating the plurality of the nation through colors. In a ‘colorful’ yet culturally diversified country like India, color has been always a crucial element in its emotional, social, and cultural existence.
The Nippon Paint Color Vision’s foresight system is structured based on the copyrighted method of Dr. Kaustav Sengupta. The method involves a unique ‘Color Foresight Cube’ (Dr. Kaustav Sengupta, 2018) that maps color signifiers through signals and drivers to indicate the ‘shift’ and understand the pattern of plausible color directions based on emotional, bio-behavioral, cultural, and social metatags. In this method, each meta tag (social or bio-behavioral) is associated with a color and updated into the cube. The cube using its technology creates patterns across the 3 segments – north, south, and youth. These patterns are then deciphered and collated as colors representing the current overall mindset of the people across these segments.
Through research, 12 key archetypes emerged, some prominent archetypes that can be seen are:
- Heal – Reflecting the need for comfort with shades like Sunken Forest, Cloud Grass, Diver’s Paradise and Circus Top
- Bloomers – A desire to express through creativity with shades like Leap of Faith, Shocking Yellow, Be My Valentine, Knockout Red
- Hive – The need to cohabitate and bond with shades like Orange Soda, Electricity, Young Violet and Caribbean Coast
- Soulcore – An inquiry into oneself with shades like Marry Go Round, Sea of Coral, Patchwark and Darkest Hour
The unique process of forecasting for Color Vision took more than 16 months and involved approximately 30,000 meta-tags. The color cues were processed through multiple focus groups of influencers, color catalysts, domain experts, color practitioners, etc. Over 55 catalysts were involved from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, etc. during various levels of research progress.
Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Kaustav Sengupta, NIFT said, “Unveiling the second edition of Nippon Paint Color Vision, spotlighting India’s inaugural zonal and youth color forecast, we are extremely happy in the diverse palette that showcases the rich tapestry of our nation. I thank the Nippon Paint team for their continued partnership and hope architects and designers who possess a visionary compass to sculpt and journey through the vibrant landscapes of color benefit within their projects and research efforts.”
The gathering was addressed by Mr. S Mahesh Anand, President, and Mr. Mark Titus, VP Marketing, Nippon Paint India. Other prominent industry leaders who shed light on the science behind colors were:
- Dr. Kaustav Sengupta, Principal Investigator and Director Insights- VisioNxt, NIFT and Expert Futurist and Color forecaster- Nippon Color Vision Color Forecast
- Husna Rahaman, Principal Creative Director, Fulcrum Studio
- Shalini Chandrashekar, Principal Architect and Co-Founder Taliesyn – Design & Architecture
- Arun Shekar Gowda, Artistic Director at Humming Tree
- Seema Sreedharan, Editor Architecture + Design
Addressing the color forecast Nippon Paint Color Vision 24-25, Mr. Mahesh Anand, President, Nippon Paint India (Decorative) said, “India, a unique harmony of diversity and tradition, finds its colors woven intricately across its expansive canvas. Nippon Paint India Color Vision leads the way in understanding the varied resonance of hues amidst different regions and generations. We are delighted to introduce to enthusiasts – the first zonal and youth color forecast. We are proud to unveil 12 unique archetypes, finely crafted to reflect the exuberance of the North, the depth of the South, and the ever-evolving expressions of our vibrant youth.”
Though this forecast is primarily developed for home colors (interior and exterior home walls, home furnishings, home décor, home accessories, tableware, lighting, etc.) they can very well be used for other product segments such as personal goods, digital and electronics, FMCG, Automobile, etc. as these color archetypes can create an impact across various domains. The brand also launched a Color Vision website for customers to look out for and download their e-book.
