THE CMG COLOR STORY EVOLUTION at this year’s International Summit
Sixty Years of Color Forecasting
When Color Marketing Group® Executive members, Montaha Hidefi, VP Color Forecasting, and Doty Horn, Board member, volunteered to examine, study, and analyze sixty years of CMG archives to prepare for the Keynote presentation during this year’s International Summit, they did not anticipate discovering a treasure trove of color.
Not only did they explore a 6-decade journey of color forecast information, but they uncovered a rich history of societal trends that influenced color and design preferences. They were impressed with the colors that trended each year, and each of the last six decades. They were fascinated as they tracked the colors that endured the tribulations of times, from recessions to natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. They were fascinated by the evolution of CMG color stories as told by thousands of participants across these past six decades.
In this Keynote presentation at this year’s annual International Summit, Montaha and Doty will reveal their discoveries addressing:
- The colors that were most forecast for each decade.
- The colors that crossed from one decade to another.
- The colors that are trending back.
- The color family that best represent sixty years of color and design preferences.
From the inception of Color Marketing Group in 1962, members’ prime interest was to promote more knowledgeable use of color in marketing; provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and the solving of color problems; and offer education and training in the complete application of color.
But for those interests to be enacted, we owe it to Elisabeth Burris-Meyer, then a consultant with the House & Garden Magazine, whom in 1963, put forward an idea to study current colors by collecting and exhibiting colored swatches of CMG members’ sold products and organize them on a color basis rather than by usage, industry, or type. The idea was adopted by CMG’s Executive Committee, and CMG established an exhibit which became known as the COLORFAIR™.
This is the CMG Color Story Evolution!
To learn the complete tale of CMG Color Story Evolution, join us at this year’s International Summit, November 10-12 in Tucson Arizona.
Keynote Presenters
Montaha Hidefi is a world-renowned Color Archeologist™. She centers her color consultancy services on developing color trends foresights and color forecast projections, portfolio ideation and customized color related insights to small, medium, and large organizations on a global basis.
In 2020, Montaha established the notion of Color Archaeology™ – a trademark of her Color Landing Studio, to best define the practice of color forecasting and its intricacies. Color Archaeology incorporates the skills and expertise to track and observe societal trends, analyze how they are interpreted in current times, and predict how they will evolve into the future.
Montaha lectures and keynotes about color and trends virtually and in-person at international events and company settings. Her articles on the subject matter are published in countless trade publications.
Montaha serves at Color Marketing Group® (CMG) as Vice President of Color Forecasting, as Member of the Executive Committee of the Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC), and as Vice President of the Canadian Freelance Guild (CFG).
She holds a comprehensive background in international marketing, color marketing and the coatings industry. Montaha was born and raised in South America, is an avid traveler and has lived and worked in the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
She is co-author of Colour Design: Theories and Applications (2012 and 2017), and author of Giving Voice to My Silence (2022), Dando voz a mi silencio (2022), and Groping for Truth (2018).
Doty Horn is the Founding Director of ColorVoyant LLC, a visionary color marketing firm specializing in Color, Design, Trend marketing and merchandising for the Commercial and Residential B-to-B Interior products industry. She believes that it is the insightful translation of color and design that drives a successful business, no matter the market application.
With a strong background rooted in the Fashion industry and having worked in cross-current industries, Doty applies her keen fashion eye and “big picture” thinking to whatever she creates. Her background includes: Creative Direction/product development SVP for Congoleum flooring, Armstrong flooring, Formica, Cole of California swimwear and at Benjamin Moore Paint’s Director of Color and Design, Doty established color strategies and trend forecasting for market-focused programs using color as the driving principle. Among numerous contributions, she created the Affinity® Color / Color Stories Collections and was the creator/visionary behind the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Color Pulse ® – an annual trend forecast.
Doty also created an international design blog for a Finnish paint manufacturer: The ColorVoyant Watch and has conducted presentations/workshops in the US, UK, Canada, Asia, Russia, Scandinavia, Italy and Germany.
Educationally, Doty has held teaching positions at FIDM-LA (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) and FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology-NYC… bringing a unique and cross-current perspective to the color and design industry. And has participated on panel discussions for Philadelphia University and The Consumer Products Safety Commission.
Doty is an active board member of The Color Marketing Group and has been member since 1991. She has seen the sustaining life of the organization and believes that each member has a wealth of creative talent, waiting to be shared and enriched. This led her to be a driving force for creating a CMG Mentoring program, which is being launched at the 2022 Tucson Summit.
