Orange Ya Ready for a Bright Future?

Color is one of the main reasons consumers buy what they buy, according to the Color Marketing Group, a not-for-profit association of more than 1,500 design professionals who recently met to discuss future color trends.

Predicting that by the new millennium the average person will spend as many as 16 hours a day in front of a computer, CMG believes consumers will be looking to escape the monotony, seeking solace in new colors, which will appear in everything from automobiles and electronic equipment to shoes, shirts and sporting goods.

CMG forecasts 12 distinct colors as "in" shades for Y2K, including wild berry (a bright red symbolizing the 2,000-year anniversary of Christ's birth); red rock (a metallic color with iron-ore hues, influenced by Australia, site of next year's Olympics); and aluminum foil (a cold and intensely urban interpretation of silver).

And what does CMG predict for 2001?

"Accents of chromatic adrenaline--bright, bold colors driven by action / recreation."

In other words, orange.