Explore every episode of the podcast The Color Authority™
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| S7E07 Color Rebellion with Mehek Malhotra | 28 Jul 2026 | 00:54:09 | |
This interview features Mehek Malhotra, founder of Giggling Monkey Studio, discussing how her Indian heritage and the psychology of color inform her narrative-driven design work. She describes color as an innate, universal language—akin to a lifelong tattoo—and uses the "masala dabba" (spice box) metaphor to explain India's consistent yet versatile palette. A central theme is her philosophy of "serious play," which encourages designers to reclaim the judgment-free creativity of childhood to develop original, commercially viable ideas. Mehek also explores her preference for "lived-in" aesthetics over sterile perfection, reflecting on projects for IKEA and Google that translate personal memories into universal experiences. The colorful and brilliant designs of Mehek Malhotra, a young designer based in Mumbai, India, are well-known for their fusion of modern aesthetics with traditional Indian elements. Malhotra, who has experience in graphic design, visual communication, and drawing, has made a name for herself in the competitive Indian design industry. Her portfolio features a wide range of projects in fields as diverse as product design, packaging, brand identity, and more. India is where Mehek Malhotra spent her formative years. Her early years were spent absorbing visual culture, during which her budding interest in art and design flourished. She continued her education by earning a Bachelor of Design degree with a concentration in fashion communication and graphic design, while being awarded the best graducation project award at NIFT in 2018. Her formal education laid the groundwork for her to develop her abilities and explore other forms of expression. She was awarded 25 under 25 in 2016 by TATA Nano and Campus Diaries for the field of Art + Design and was recognised in the Power 25 List of the Rolling Stone Magazine in 2023. In 2025, she received a Special Mention in the Forbes 30 Under 30 India list for Design, acknowledging her growing influence and contribution to creative culture in the country.
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| S7E06 Symbiotic Dialogues with Draga & Aurel | 29 Jun 2026 | 00:44:31 | |
In this episode, Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow’s creative synergy, where "one plus one is three," combines industrial materials with the "material alchemy" of resin and glass. They view color as an emotional "gift and a subjective experience that cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence, which lacks the capacity for human feeling. Embracing the unpredictable nature of their materials, they advocate for a "handmade future" rooted in physical gesture and emotional discernment. Draga & Aurel is a multidisciplinary studio working across art, collectible design, and product design, based in Como. Founded in 2007 by designer Draga Obradovic and artist Aurel K. Basedow, partners in life as well as in work, the studio now counts a team of 30 people active between design and in-house production. With a heterogeneous background spanning art, fashion, and craftsmanship, Draga & Aurel are internationally recognized for an original language that merges rigorous design methodology with an artistic approach to material and composition. Their first collections, Deshabillé (2007) and Heritage (2009), marked their debut in the design world and introduced a pioneering experimentation with the upcycling of vintage objects, reinterpreted through a contemporary sensibility. Their dialogue with design history continued through early collaborations with the Italian company Baxter, launched in 2009 and still ongoing, a partnership that helped propel Draga & Aurel onto the international stage.
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| S7E05 Challenging Color Codes with Studio RENS | 26 May 2026 | 00:46:19 | |
In this interview for the Color Authority podcast Studio RENS, the Dutch design duo composed of Renee and Stephanie, discusses their 17-year history of exploring the transformative power of color and material. Their creative synergy relies on a balance between Stephanie’s analytical structure and Renee’s creative, hands-on spirit, a partnership that allows them to embrace the freedom of experimentation without losing focus. RENS is a design research studio specialized in the applied investigation RENS collaborates closely with clients and partners to get to the heart of the matter (and the color). Previous projects and partnerships with museums, companies, brands, and labels from all over the world include:
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| S7E04 The Milan Edit with The Forecast Club | 28 Apr 2026 | 00:58:53 | |
In this episode, the Forecast Club comes together to unpack what really stood out at Milan Design Week 2026. Moving beyond the hype, they share honest reflections on shifting aesthetics, the rise of multi-sensory experiences, and the growing divide between design for the few and design for the many. From material-driven color stories to questions around relevance, affordability, and authenticity, this conversation offers a sharp, insider perspective on where design is heading next. The Forecast Club is a global collective of leading, award-winning trend experts, one from each country. While each member operates independently, they collaborate periodically on exclusive projects known as “Drops.” This podcast episode features the following team members: Alina Schartner, based in Austria, is an internationally recognised colour and interior design consultant, trend forecaster, and designer. She creates purposeful strategies, concepts, and collections for major brands. Her futures-focused approach, rooted in longevity, balances relevance, emotional and functional value, profitability, and sustainability. Alongside bespoke services, Alina shares her insights through keynotes, workshops, webinars, trend reports, and expert panels. Since 2021, she has also been the brand ambassador for RAL COLOURS, promoting colour literacy worldwide. Stefan ”Trendstefan” Nilsson, based in Sweden, is one of Sweden’s and Scandinavia’s most influential trend experts. Constantly on foot, he visits fairs and world cities to scout the latest in design, lifestyle, sustainability, retail and hospitality. He looks for new colours, shapes and objects, but the main driver is to try to analyse new demands regardless of if they are for Gen Z or regular men on the street. These insights are shared in various magazines and at seminars all over the world. He is a regular contributor to magazines like Elle Decoration, Residence, Plaza as well as morning shows on TV and radio. Trendstefan runs his own digital platform Trendstefan.se since 2006 and the trend seminar “Stora Trenddagen” since 2011. On the side he curates exhibitions both at fairs, museums and how own mobile exhibition platform Designgalleriet. Swedish magazine Rum have listed Trendstefan as one of the most influential people in architecture and design in Sweden. Trendstefan is also the founder of The Forecast Club. Susanna Björklund, based in Finland, is a futures thinker, trend analyst, journalist and a designer. As a Senior Lecturer she teaches emerging talents at LAB Institute of Design, LAB University of Applied Sciences. Susanna is also an international speaker and moderator for panel discussions. Susanna is known for curating and producing SIGNALS, the official trend exhibition of Habitare, the interior fair of Helsinki, 2015-2022, linking visual and societal trends. Her passion is design and to look for changes in everything around us, to analyze and cluster those signals into thinking where the futures might be heading. Societal shifts, design for the planet and changes in consumer behaviour as well as in values are interesting ingredients for her work.
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| S7E03 Sensory Alchemy with Ramy Elnagar | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:57:35 | |
This episode features Ramy Elnagar, founder of White Mirror, talking about how color acts as a frequency and a sensory tool to bridge the gap between our inner and outer worlds. Ramy elaborates on his studio's philosophy of "experiences as medicine," which utilizes nature-inspired awe and sensory congruence to move beyond mere engagement toward profound physiological and psychological transformation. The conversation explores the future of "secular spaces of worship" ultimately advocating for intentional design that helps individuals navigate loneliness and environmental anxiety through clarity, quietude, and ritual. As the founder of White Mirror, a wellness innovation studio at the intersection of science, arts, and technology, Ramy believes the environments we design shape us, influencing how we think, feel, and connect. Guided by this philosophy, he applies evidence-based approaches to create spaces, experiences, and interventions that improve quality of life across the hospitality, real estate, automotive, and wellness sectors. He works toward building the future we want to live in, exploring how wellness can become part of our spaces and systems. Ramy’s holistic approach to human health addresses our emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical wellbeing through what he calls “experience as medicine.”
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| S7E02 Beyond Trend Stuffification with Louise Byg Kongsholm | 24 Feb 2026 | 00:43:50 | |
Louise Byg Kongsholm explains in this episode that companies must navigate "trend stuffification" by distinguishing between short-term noise and long-term strategic patterns that address fundamental human needs. She advocates for life stage segmentation over traditional demographics and warns that AI should be treated as a tool rather than a business strategy to protect the essential human "creative spark". Louise Byg Kongsholm is CEO of pej gruppen – scandinavian trend institute, a company with more than 50 years of experience in decoding trends and making them actionable for Scandinavian companies. She works as a trend researcher, author, speaker and advisor across Scandinavia. She is also editor-in-chief of three professional magazines and has written several books on topics such as trend sociology, the future of retail, life stage segmentation and creativity. She is known for translating complex societal and cultural shifts into clear strategic insight. Her work centres on zeitgeist analysis, megatrends and consumer behaviour, with a strong focus on how uncertainty, values and cultural change shape markets and everyday decision-making. Rather than treating trends as isolated phenomena, she analyses patterns, signals and underlying drivers. From this perspective, colour is not a discipline in itself, but a visible expression of deeper cultural moods and collective states of mind.
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| S7E01 Sense of Place with Reyes Ríos + Larraín Arquitectos | 27 Jan 2026 | 00:53:50 | |
This first episode of 2026 of The Color Authority podcast features an in-depth conversation with Salvador Reyes and Josefina Larrain of the Mérida-based studio Reyes Rios + Larrain Arquitectos. The discussion centres on the studio’s philosophy of "living heritage," where they restore historic Yucatecan haciendas and manor houses not as static monuments, but as functional, contemporary spaces that preserve ancestral knowledge and memory. Design Studio based in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, founded by architect Salvador Reyes Ríos and Josefina Larraín Lagos. Since 2001, they have equally devoted themselves to contemporary architectural design and restoration of old haciendas, manor houses, buildings, and heritage sites, adapting them for new, compatible uses. A local and modern sensibility, combined with a comprehensive approach to architecture, interior design, furniture, landscaping, and construction coordination, characterizes their new buildings and restoration/reuse projects. Other contributions to Mexican architecture include the revival and reinterpretation of local materials and techniques, such as Chukum-based mortar and structural concrete blended with red earth known as kancab. Reyes Ríos + Larraín are also recognized for creating an original architectural language that has shaped the contemporary identity of Yucatán’s built environment, as well as the ongoing experimentation with local materials and processes. Their work has been featured in specialized books and magazines across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, earning both national acclaim and international visibility. The book Place, Matter, and Belonging, published in two editions by Arquine in 2017, is the first monograph dedicated to their body of work. The studio is currently designing projects in Mexico, United States and Dominican Republic.
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| S6E11 Cultural Memory with Lameice Abu Aker | 16 Dec 2025 | 00:41:27 | |
Jerusalemite designer Lameice Abu Aker creates at the intersection of emotional resonance and cultural memory, exploring how form, color, and material embody the poetry of domestic rituals. Now based between Jerusalem and Milan, where she earned her Master’s in Furniture Design from Politecnico di Milano, her work fuses Mediterranean nostalgia with sculptural whimsy. In 2021, she founded Ornamental by Lameice, a studio dedicated to glassware that blurs the line between sculpture and tableware. Collaborating closely with a family of artisans in the Palestinian village of Jaba’, where glassblowing is a centuries-old tradition, Lameice introduced an unprecedented palette of pastel hues and whimsical designs as an entirely new chromatic language within their heritage of earth and fire. Each piece is shaped without molds or mechanical constraint, allowing the molten glass to reveal its own peculiar grace. The artisan’s breath lingers in every curve; light, once captured, seems reluctant to leave. Drawn to the table as a stage for life’s theatre, Lameice designs vessels that hold moments of dates, spirited debates, and family stories in awkward elegance, unexpected colors, and playful forms that carry optimism, intimacy, and the sense that the object might be a character of its own. Her collections Dreamlike, Eye Candy, and Teta Edition have been exhibited internationally from Paris and London to New York, Singapore and Monaco, each piece a small ambassador of whimsy, heritage, and light.
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| S6E10 Biomimicry Futures with Geraldine Wharry | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:57:31 | |
Geraldine Wharry is one of the world's leading Fashion Futurists. As a Regenerative Futures Architect, she helps partners decode emergence and implement change, whilst adopting strategies leveraging creative, systemic and environmental imperatives. Trusted by organisations ranging from Nike, Samsung, Afterpay, Christian Dior to Seymour Powell, Geraldine's blend of strategic, regenerative and creative foresight has been applied across fashion, beauty, technology, sustainability, culture, media, gaming, the arts, health, travel and industrial design. Geraldine is also a regular speaker on stages ranging from SXSW to the Adidas global headquarters. Her views on a future of fashion that stands at the crossroads of Tech, Purpose and Sustainability are regularly featured on the BBC, Vogue, The Financial Times, BoF and other international press publications. She writes about strategic futures for Dazed Beauty and in her monthly column 'Tomorrow' for Spur Magazine in Japan. Questioning established future foresight methods and innovation implementation problems, by applying regenerative futures thinking and Biomimicry, has been a running thread in Geraldine's practice and the school community hybrid she founded, Trend Atelier. She is a regular guest lecturer at leading universities in Europe. As a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and a member of the United Nations' Conscious Fashion & Lifestyle network, Geraldine Wharry's mission is to inspire leaders, industries and people to enact visionary futures, for the greater good of the people and planet.
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| S6E09 Modular Color with Sofia Ilmonen | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:42:18 | |
This first autumn podcast episode features Finnish fashion designer Sofia Ilmonen, who discusses her approach to creating modular, transformable garments that can be reshaped and reassembled like building blocks. Ilmonen details how her use of simple square or rectangular modules contributes to her sustainability goals. She also explains her focus on "sizeless" garments aiming to increase longevity by addressing the poor fit, which she identifies as one of the biggest reasons for discarding clothing. Sofia Ilmonen is a fashion designer whose work centres on modular, transformable clothing that merges sustainability with innovative garment design. At the core of her concept is adaptability — both in silhouette and size — with the aim of promoting a more responsible and inclusive fashion culture. The modular approach extends garment lifespans by allowing pieces to be reassembled and reshaped endlessly. All garments are built from square-shaped modules, a form that not only follows zero-waste cutting principles but also embodies the idea of continuous design. Each module is compatible with any part of a garment and is joined using a unique system of specially designed 3D-printed buttons. This enables infinite transformations without sewing and makes the garments sizeless, adaptable to many body shapes and styles. Sofia’s work has been presented in international exhibitions and featured in publications such as British and Scandinavian Vogue. Her Aalto University thesis was recognized with the Marimekko Award and the Finnish Textile and Fashion Prize, and she received the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize at the Festival de Hyères. Her modular collections have also been showcased at Berlin and Copenhagen Fashion Weeks. Before founding her own label, Sofia worked extensively in London in roles ranging from seamstress and creative pattern cutter to designer. Her three years at Alexander McQueen, immersed in the world of high fashion and craftsmanship, left a profound influence on her design philosophy and continue to shape her practice today.
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| S6E08 Growing Color with Laura Luchtman | 30 Sep 2025 | 00:44:16 | |
Laura Luchtman talks to TCA about her journey from fast fashion to sustainable fashion looking for a greater purpose. She experiments with natural pigments and materials, always searching for solutions to problems that exist in the fashion and textile industry. In this episode, Laura explains how she experiments with color-growing bacteria and how this process creates a new aesthetic, researching to answer that big question: can our what we wear heal us? Laura Luchtman was born in the Netherlands where she lives and works in Rotterdam. She is a textile and surface designer investigating the social, cultural, and ecological dimensions of color. She develops new ways to experience color through bio-based pigments, inclusive systems, and translating color and pattern across different contexts. From her chromatic atelier Kukka in Rotterdam, she works with brands like Puma, ranging from conceptual presentations to applied collections. Her research into sustainable dyes highlights her hands-on approach and commitment to conscious design. Laura’s work has been shown globally, published, and presented at TEDx. In 2023, she won the DNA Paris Design Award for Chromarama Riso.
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| S6E07 Color Out of Context with Nieves Contreras | 29 Jul 2025 | 00:48:49 | |
Nieves Contreras talks about what inspires her and how she wants to take design, material and in particular color out of context. She explains how material and processing have become part of the innovative brand Lladrò, what are the challenges for the Spanish design market in the next years and how AI may influence the return to true craftsmanship. Graduated in Industrial Design as well as a Master's in Design Management from UPV in Valencia. She has developed a significant part of her professional career in Paris, France, collaborating with product design studios, creating designs and artistic direction for various sectors, from furniture and home appliances to luxury brands and connected objects, at studios such as Marc Berthier, Pascal Mourgue, and particularly eliumstudio, where she worked for 10 years. Simultaneously, she has been active as an independent designer, deeply involved in craftsmanship and its contemporary renewal, creating furniture for Expormim, and as the co-founder and creative director of the handmade ceramic brand sagenceramics (Manises). Since 2019, she has been the Creative Director of Lladró, a Spanish porcelain company recognized internationally, heading the Creation and Development Department, consisting of a team of 15 people. She is responsible for the creation and implementation of the new creative strategy and the revitalization of the brand through product diversification and a contemporary approach.
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| S6E06 Decolonization of Color with Mohamad Baitie | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:49:33 | |
In this very frank and open conversation Mohamad Baitie talks about how color reflects cultural heritage, the decolonization of design, and the desire to be seen. This podcast is a look into Middle Eastern aesthetics challenging Western norms and reclaiming visual identity. With a master’s Degree in interior architecture, Mohamad Baitie has an expansive knowledge of color, color forecasting, color design and architectural coatings. Mohamad was born in Lebanon and grew up in Accra, Ghana, constantly moving with the family and being exposed to different cultures. His first encounter with color came through a dual interaction, Smarties and Lego. He was constantly amazed by how color shapes objects and defines the way we interact with them. Architecture was his obvious choice, where color, light and shadow are intertwined. Today, with over 22 years of experience in marketing and communication in the paint industry, working for one of the top multinational paint brands as Business Development Director, GLC Paints. He has led the brand identity transformation of GLC Paints and is thoroughly involved in product research and development within the organization. He also took the role of professor of Color at the American University of Cairo, teaching color theory, color practice and color psychology. As part of the CMG organization, through GLC Paints, he attends the yearly global summit on color forecasting and does his own color talks and color workshops within the MENA region.
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| S6E05 Trend Curation with Cécile Poignant | 27 May 2025 | 00:46:38 | |
This episode is filled with information on intentional trends within a variety of industries yet with a special focus on the culinary industry. Cécile talks to us about how the the trend forecasting industry has changed with the current speed of information reaching us and how this has resulted more in trend provocation whereas there is a great need for trend curation to truly help out businesses in finding answers in a difficult economical climate. Cécile Poignant is French, born and raised in Paris. She is a futurist specializing in contemporary lifestyles for the past 35 years. Her expertise lies in detecting weak signals and connecting the dots to anticipate major future shifts. She has worked with international brands such as Nissan, Swatch, Philips, L’Oréal, and P&G. Always on the lookout, she observes and deciphers emerging needs and evolving behaviors. Cécile is also actively involved in international conferences and frequently conducts workshops for professionals. She loves teaching and sharing her insights at various institutions, including IFM, ENSAD, and the American University of Paris. Her greatest passion is curiosity—she is constantly seeking to better understand the world around her. You’ll often find her sipping an excellent Japanese green tea, savoring high-quality dark chocolate, or immersed in a book. Nature is her ultimate source of rejuvenation; in another life, she might have been a landscape designer.
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| S6E04 Milano Unfolded with Evelien Reich | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:54:33 | |
Together with design hunter Evelien Reich, we dive into the essence of Milan Design Week 2025. She shares her favorite installations, the standout colors, materials and textures of the week. Which are the key themes that defined this year’s edition and how has Milan Design Week changed over the past years? Listen to our conversation on all that is Milano! Evelien Reich is the editor-in-chief of MANERA Benelux, a new English-language addition to the MANERA family, that is set to launch in September. With a decades-long career in media, she has built up extensive expertise in design and interiors. Evelien is a sought-after host at design events and is known for her sharp eye and deep understanding of interior aesthetics. She has a particular passion for the power of color in homes—how it shapes atmosphere, brings joy, and makes spaces feel alive.
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| S6E03 Color Down Under with Bree Banfield | 25 Mar 2025 | 00:47:06 | |
Australian Bree Banfield shares with us her passion for color surprises in interiors, how color comes intuitively to her and how the light down under changes the color game completely. Listen to our conversation and receive valuable insights to the color selection process for home interiors. With an extensive career spanning 30 years, Bree Banfield is an Interior Designer renowned for her expertise in trend forecasting and styling. A maestro in color, Bree approaches each project with a commitment to creating aesthetically appealing and emotionally rich spaces. Her projects, marked by surprises in color, pattern play, and innovative use of scale, reflect a passion for gently pushing boundaries and intuitively understanding her clients' brief. Beyond her role as an Interior Designer, she stands as a visionary trend forecaster, shaping the contemporary landscape of Australian interiors with her forward-thinking aesthetic.
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| S6E02 Color Camouflage with Melania Chavarría Nuño | 25 Feb 2025 | 00:50:13 | |
In this episode Melania shares her story about how she went from being too much to finding her own voice, how color became the main driver in her work and how she wants to bridge the gap between the intrinsic variety of Mexican culture and the world of the arts. Learn about how she expresses these elements through her own body and person. Fashion and Textile Designer with a degree from Centro de Diseño, Cine y Televisión (CDMX) and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp, Belgium). Born and raised in Mexico City, she works on a diverse range of projects within the creative industries, spanning fashion, arts, design, styling, journalism, and creative direction. With nearly 10 years of experience, she has developed numerous dynamic design projects aimed at fostering and promoting a stronger fashion identity for Mexican culture from a contemporary and international perspective. In 2015, Melania launched her design project, CDMX11000, inspired by the surreal architectural language of Mexico City. This project has evolved through social media platforms, using photography to create a visual language where local arts, design, traditions, and culture are seamlessly integrated with fashion. Through the interplay of colors, textures, shapes, and prints, the project highlights specific theories, aesthetics, and concepts. Her continuous collaboration with other creatives led her to share their stories and projects through DNA Magazine, an innovative fashion media outlet. There, she writes to spotlight emerging talents and guide the next generation of creative professionals.
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| S6E01 Chasing Reality with Michell Lott | 21 Jan 2025 | 00:45:34 | |
Which way better to start the new season than with Brazilian creative Michell Lott. In this episode, Michell shares insights on how he uses color to stay in touch with his emotions to navigate life more easily, how warm colors increase happiness for 2025 and how AI allows him to work quicker yet without taking over his creativity.
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| S5E10 Color Devotion with Maye Ruiz | 17 Dec 2024 | 00:51:36 | |
In this final podcast for 2024, TCA spoke to interior designer Maye Ruiz, the Mexican queen of color about the perfect color combination, listening to the genius loci of a house, breaking color myths, imposter syndrome, and how color is her religion in life. Her commitment to pushing design boundaries and delivering excellence continues to set her apart as an innovator and influencer in interior design. In addition to leading MAYE, Maye Ruiz has passionately shared her expertise in design through academia. From 2015 to 2022, she taught courses, delivered lectures, and conducted workshops at prestigious Mexican institutions, including the Universidad Iberoamericana, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Centro de Diseño, Cine y TV. She also collaborated on the diploma program for the Latin American adaptation of content by the renowned U.S. publisher Condé Nast, further enriching the region's design education landscape.
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| S5E09 Design Activism with Fernando Laposse | 26 Nov 2024 | 00:49:08 | |
Fernando Laposse is not only a true inspiration but a great storyteller. His designs are constructed throughout deep levels of culture, challenges, heritage and his great love for his home country Mexico. During our interview we talked about the essential importance of provenance, material, natural pigment and showcasing the story of indigenous communities and their daily struggles through his design work.
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| S5E08 Color Rebellion with Masquespacio | 29 Oct 2024 | 00:52:29 | |
In this very open and frank conversation, Christophe speaks about how color influences their projects, what are crucial elements for the success of their work and the difficulties they came across on their design journey and the challenge to innovate and pick projects that reflect their values. Connection, Rebellion, Artisan and Sensory, that is what Masquespacio is all about. Actually they are working on several hotel and restaurant projects in Spain, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Germany, Qatar, Singapore and Cambodia amongst others. In 2019 they also created Mas Creations a new lifestyle brand that shows their most personal vision through a universe of textures, materials and colors represented in new furniture collections as well as interiors.
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| S5E07 Totally Obsessed with Trendstefan | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:51:25 | |
There is a reason why I picked this title and you hear that when you listen to the conversation. Stefan is a true trend hunter who never stops searching for the new as his curiosity brings him to over 30 fairs a year. In this interview we talk about what is trending right now, what is coming and we wonder about what the future may bring when it comes to color and its application.
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| S5E06 Rethinking Color with Anna Starmer | 30 Jul 2024 | 01:01:16 | |
Anna Starmer talked to TCA about her vision on the future of color being more value-based where homogenous colors have no place and we select colors that fit our values, that are beautiful and endure the test of time. Beyond her books, Anna works directly with brands and retailers, manufacturers, organisations and universities. She understands the technical language of colour, from materials for Dualit or Volvo, to colours for Triumph Lingerie to Ikea. Communicating and visualising colour for brands and manufacturers, Anna has developed colour libraries for clients, from Manolo Blahnik to Marks and Spencer. Luminary Colour is the bi-annual publication and colour library, founded and created by Anna Starmer. The books and colour swatches are hand made in the UK to an exacting technical standard. Luminary has evolved organically from a future colour forecasting service with a 2-3 year ahead season, into a non-seasonal platform of inspiration and innovation; today we collaborate with botanical dyers, wild dye plant foragers, waste food pigments, waste material specialists and bio-colour innovators – featuring emerging colour swatches in every book. Colour and material futures sit at the heart of our creative practice, yet beauty is so much deeper than surface level. Our stories have deep rooted connections to the origin of colour and long-term future intentions, way beyond a single season. Our work visualises a regenerative future, exploring a wiser, more intuitive ways of making and creating.
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| S5E05 Brutal Honesty with Zuzanna Skalska | 25 Jun 2024 | 00:54:38 | |
With Zuzanna we talk about just everything that is strategic design thinking to how to get out of our comfort zone to color-matching in plastics, to being the only woman in the room and how businesses need to understand that their brand is made of people. And all that while being brutally honest. Skalska has been a jury member at many prestigious design competitions like IF Design Awards and a keynote speaker at many recognized business conferences and economic summits. She is an active journalist and contributing editor to leading design and lifestyle magazines. In addition, together with her partners Greenhat Innovation and Blue Media/Autopay, she publishes an annual book - a comprehensive volume on SignalS of Change research.Her professional and public activity has been often recognized not only by the prestigious world’s design awards. In addition, in recent years she has been granted prestigious titles, such as one of the 50 most influential women of Eindhoven region, one of the strongest contributing expats in Eindhoven or one of the best professional speakers in Poland. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Zuzanna has been living in the Netherlands since 1992.
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| S5E04 Breaking the Average with Lidi Bus | 28 May 2024 | 00:41:26 | |
It is always super fun to talk to fellow Dutchies. Lidi Bus talked about her journey as an artist, how she came about her inflatable design and their colorful combination but also about vulnerability and her quest to break free from average.
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| S5E03 Design Experience with Xiaojing Huang | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:56:17 | |
Xiaojing is the first person on the podcast to talk with an Asian perspective on color, design experience and CMF as she talks about the many differences between eastern and western consumer trends, preferences and color perceptions. As one of the most well-known CMF designers in China, Xiaojing will give her view on what is happening in the field and not just in China. Winner of Red Dot Design Award, IDEA and Design For Asia Silver Award, Influential China Young by Linkedin. Chief editor of China Design Trends Report, which is by far the authoritative annual trend report for the Chinese market since 2013. The report has successfully forecasted well-selling Chinese design trends including gradient, purple, copper green and iridescence. She is curator of CMF TREND LAB, and design column writer of magazines including md. Invited speaker of many design events including TEDx, Color Marketing Group, NCS color forecast and Semiofest. Xiaojing studied in Guangzhou and Berlin from experience design expert. As strategic director of YANG DESIGN, the forward-looking design consultancy in China, she has been leading the strategic team to build the CMF Lab and UX Lab , defining design strategy to realize business value for companies in different development stages. Her clients are leading brands including Boeing, BMW, GM, Nissan, Hyundai, Didi, Samsung, Microsoft, Huawei, BOSE, Haier, vivo, Schneider Electric, Unilever, Vanke, DuPont and 3M.
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| S5E02 Breaking Stereotypes with Ghalia Elsrakbi | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:49:56 | |
In this podcast, Ghalia will talk about how she is creating a platform for the under-represented narratives in the design world in her region, the Middle East and how she is keen on breaking design stereotypes. How can color be used as a tool to surpass digital censorship so designers may speak up and communicate what they stand for? In 2009, she co-founded with South African designer Lauren Alexander Foundland Collective, an art and design practice based between Cairo and Amsterdam. Foundland’s projects explore under-represented political and historical narratives by working with archives via art, design, writing, educational formats, video making, and storytelling. It aims to critically reflect upon what it means to produce politically engaged work from the position of non-Western artists working between Europe and the Middle East. Ghalia is an Associate Professor of Practice in Design at the Graphic Design program at the American University in Cairo. She is a co-founder and the Artistic Director of Cairotronica, Electronic and New Media arts festival in Cairo. Ghalia received a nomination and was a finalist for the Dutch Prix de Rome prize in 2015 and the Dutch Design Awards in 2016. She was awarded the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship in 2015/2016 for research in the Faris and Yamna Naff Arab American Collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington DC. Ghalia has lectured and exhibited widely in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, including Centre Pompidou (FR), The Rotterdam International Film Festival(NL), ISPC (NYC), Ars Electronica, Linz (AT), IMPAKT Festival (NL), London Art Fair (UK), Beursschouwburg, Brussels, Fikra Design Biennial (UAE), Porto Design Biennial (PT), Amman Design week (JOR).
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| S5E01 Nourishing Tradition with Laura Tofts | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:51:08 | |
Part of learning about color is understanding it's many facets and cultural meanings. Laura Tofts passionately shares her perspective on color from a southern African point of view, describing Zimbabwe's color symbolism across pattern, natural pigments and minerals. Her goal is to bring global color conversations to Africa and spread its traditions with the world. The Call of Africa was too much, and Laura returned to Zimbabwe in early 2000 and joined Avis Car Hire as The National Sales “Lady” .... Until political events in the country saw the rapid collapse of the tourism industry and a very depressed environment. At that point Laura decided it was time for a change and whilst working as a restaurant manager in a 5-star Restaurant in Harare, studied Accounting by night. Once qualified, Laura took up a role as Bookkeeper in a Paint Shop downtown ... and that’s when the Eureka moment happened, and the passion was ignited. The following year Laura opened her first Paint Wholesale Warehouse in the Light Industry Area, where she is still based today... 23 years later! Needless to say, Laura Tofts has extensive experience and deep knowledge about coatings and colour design. She is the only NCS qualified colour trainer in Zimbabwe, training architects, interior designers and anyone with an interest in colour. During the last 13 years, she has extended her skillset by delving deeply into specialist finishes, such as cement, texture, wallpaper, and anything else that adds dimensions to a wall. She has earned Certification from The Institute of Concrete of South Africa, specialising in cement for construction. Laura owns The Showroom (recently re-branded from Artisan), a surface design company that supplies top-quality products and creates unique finishes for residential and commercial projects. The Showroom is Zimbabwe’s main distributor of Medal Paints, Cemcrete, Earthcote, Jaxoleum and Wallpaper Inn, Eijffinger, ORAC, among others. Laura’s Instagram Page best summarises it all “Africa forever in my Soul, Colour all around me”.
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| S4E11 Honoring Identity with Jessica Bantom | 12 Dec 2023 | 00:56:28 | |
This is a conversation every designer should be listening to as Jessica Bantom and I address the elephant in the room, designing inclusively for a more equitable world in which culture, identity and humanity is honoured. But how may you start that conversation at work or with your client? Jessica speaks from her own experience and research when she says, listen and just ask the questions to that person that indeed is so different from you. What role does color play in honouring identity?
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| S4E10 Color Abundance with Andreea Hartea | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:49:39 | |
How does our past influence the perception we have of our world today? Where does color stand in our daily perception of things and more importantly, how do we select the correct colors that truly make us feel good? Andreea Hartea will explain how we perceive color and how to select the right color for ourselves and our clients. She derives great satisfaction from assisting individuals in their daily lives and uncovering the underlying reasons behind their experiences using the power of color. Her primary objective is to educate people on approaching color from a more intimate, authentic, and conscious standpoint, acknowledging that color affects each individual in a very unique manner. Currently, she is devoted to promote the concept "subjectivity of color” as she has been privileged to deliver lectures to prominent companies and international platforms such as Edison, PPG, Archiproducts, and TedxRoma. Having moved from theory to practical application, she developed the RAH Colours test, which aids professionals closely engaged with end clients in addressing the challenging question: "What color should we choose?" Whether it involves materials, products, or surfaces, this question invariably arises in interior design and often proves a point of frustration for both professionals and clients alike. She provides guidance on implementing this methodology, and currently works on creating a platform that will provide professionals with their own personal color consultant. Moreover, she collaborates with studios and boutique agencies specializing in brand identities, particularly for small-scale brands.
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| S4E09 Color Statements with Claudia Cándano | 17 Oct 2023 | 00:44:53 | |
What is happening in the world of fashion, what colors prevail and where does Mexican fashion stand in all of this? Claudia Cándano talks about her passion for fashion and how she incorporates color at ELLE while she is key on taking fashion to a broader audience.
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| S4E08 Empowerment through Color with Lisa Maria Pippus | 26 Sep 2023 | 00:54:31 | |
How can you empower yourself with color and bring out the best of yourself? Lisa Maria Pippus explains how she helps her clients in selecting the right color palette to literally shine and portrait what they want to stand for. In this podcast episode you will learn about terms like color DNA, archetypes and personal branding.
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| S4E07 Shaping Color Moods with Ruxandra Duru | 25 Jul 2023 | 00:44:33 | |
Ruxandra Duru is the co-creator of Color Moods, a tool that shows you how to create color combinations but also how color influences your mood. In this conversation Ruxandra will testify to the power of color and the effects it has on our emotions, feelings and decisions. She currently lives and works in NYC. A third culture person, she was born in Romania, spent her childhood in Morocco, moved during her teens to Canada and in her mid-twenties to Barcelona, Spain where she resided until 2021. She worked in the editorial graphic design field until 5 years ago, when she became increasingly interested in how colors, among others properties, can create different atmospheres and improve our well-being in a variety of contexts including graphic design, art and architecture. On top of her own practice, she also uses her color knowledge at Google NYC. Additionally, she makes music and takes photographs, spaces where mood is also an important element.
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| S4E06 Accessibility via Color with Erika Kelter | 27 Jun 2023 | 00:50:48 | |
How can color be used to make devices more accessible, user-friendly without compromising the design? How important are sensory experiences in today's world and what role do neuro-aesthetics play in the field of CMF. Erika Kelter will share her thoughts on how we may use color, material and finish to create a more sensory experience in a tech world. Before obtaining an MA from the University of Arts and Design in Helsinki, Finland, Erika had already gained a strong background in crafts by studying ceramics, glass blowing, goldsmithing techniques, and textile design. After graduation she worked in the arts and culture realm as an artist, teacher, and producer before her career as an CMF Designer.
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| S5E05 Enhancing Color by Light with Rodrigo Fernandez | 30 May 2023 | 00:40:30 | |
As many of you know, there is no color without light and this is why I interviewed Rodrigo Fernandez on how we can make color look sexy in a space, on a product and on any imaginable surface. We will also discuss the highlights of Milan Design Week's Euroluce and what color and light innovation was presented. Listen into our conversation to learn more about the deep relationship between color and lighting.
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| S4E04 Cinematic Emotions with Ilya Viryachev | 25 Apr 2023 | 00:50:22 | |
How is designing color for animation and cinematics different than for physical products and spaces? Ilya will bring us along his journey in the world of games and animation as he explains how he applies storytelling through color in cinematic scenes. How do you create the unexpected through color while creating the right atmosphere for a scene? How do you use color to evoke emotion? After having graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver, Ilya worked as an animator on multiple TV shows and later transitioned into the Concept Art field. After working as an Art Director in the animation industry for a number of years, Ilya’s latest journey took him to Blizzard Entertainment to lead a team of Visual Development artists to create new cinematics. While that keeps him busy during the day, he spends most of his free time on traditional painting, podcast, travel, murals, and being involved in the local art community.
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| S4E03 Hyperbolic Color with Serena Confalonieri | 21 Mar 2023 | 00:37:53 | |
Known for her colourful designs, Serena Confalonieri explains what inspires her and the important role that color plays in creating community, safety and change in neighbourhoods. Serena loves to break taboos in the world of design as she talks about controversial topics in our society. Each project starts from an accurate research, which investigates the meaning and history of all elements involved while giving them a personal and fresh new interpretation. In particular, in-depth researches on surfaces are very crucial, in order to obtain impeccable results and a strong consistency with patterns, decorations and colors.
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| S4E02 Speaking Material with Chris Lefteri | 21 Feb 2023 | 00:50:44 | |
Chris Lefteri invites us to the mysterious world of CMF. How do you bridge the gap between material industries and designers. Why does the material come first in the creative design process and what role does color play? What innovation is happening in the intrinsic world of materials and how does this relate to topics of circularity and recyclability? Material guy Chris Lefteri gives insight on how he builds stories around materials and the challenges he encounters in a world in search of sustainable materials.
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| S4E01 Shining your Light with Judith van Vliet | 24 Jan 2023 | 00:50:11 | |
This is quite the unusual podcast for me.. as for the first time I am being interviewed myself by Keith Recker who beseeched, almost begged me to let the TCA fans get to know me better by turning the tables and allowing myself to be the interviewee. This fun conversation gives some insights into the mysterious world of color forecasting and its future, how you may identify color for clients and their brand but most importantly, what color can do for you on a personal level once you learn how to work with it. Color is life, color is emotion and above all, it is power. Her initial dive into color came in her first job as Product Planning Specialist at Kawasaki Motors, where she was the only European and the only woman on Kawasaki’s Japan-based design team. Later, she served as Senior Color Designer at Avient ColorWorks, which designs innovative and increasingly sustainable polymer-based colorants to the manufacturing sector and was Creative Director of ColorForward, a global color forecasting guide. These positions allowed her to travel the world to present social and consumer color intelligence to cross-industry professionals, designers and marketers. Today she is captain of her own ship as founder and color intelligence provider at The Color Authority. She’s also vice president of membership of the Color Marketing Group, where she’s been very active for over fifteen years in positions including president and member of the executive committee.
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| S03E15 Living your True Color with Mark Wentworth | 01 Nov 2022 | 00:54:35 | |
Who was I born to be? That is the question we need to ask ourselves, less so, what is my life mission. Mark Wentworth will talk about how we all are born into a particular color and how that sets our natural path. An intriguing conversation about Mark his methodology called PsychoDynamics and how he brings people back to themselves as we all seem to have lost ourselves a little bit in this chaotic world. Why was the pandemic indigo and what is the color of 2023? As well as being a guest on numerous TV and Radio shows and interviewed by various magazines and newspapers throughout the world, Mark is also a brand ambassador for Valspar Paint UK, and a Visiting Practitioner for SixSenses Spas and Resorts.
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| S03E14 Shooting Color with Ellen Mirck | 18 Oct 2022 | 00:39:56 | |
How did a Dutch fashion stylist end up in the Milan and how does she mix her northern upbringing and style with the Italian? Ellen tells her story through her styling work around the world using color, fabric and texture to create luxurious yet cool stylings. She loves mystery which can clearly be seen through her work for Vogue Arabia. Ellen explains what intrigues her so much about fashion and how color fits into that world. Her clients are Burberry, Max Mara, Hogan, Pomellato, Moncler, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fay, Tommy Hilfiger, Bvlgari, Converse, Benetton, Tod's, Bally, Palm Angels and many more.
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| S03E13 High on Color with Bethan Laura Wood | 04 Oct 2022 | 00:48:03 | |
Bethan talks about her many inspirations deriving from spending time in different countries while travelling. She explains how she lets color speak to her designs and patterns while explaining the design processes of her latest creations. Her love for Mexico strongly comes forward in the conversation and how the Mexican color palette has influenced her work. Bethan has always had an interest in the relation between people and the object and how she can reinforce that relation through time, and of course, color.
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| S03E12 Color Provocations with Keith Recker | 20 Sep 2022 | 00:46:50 | |
Keith Recker is a color poet and you will hear that immediately when listening to this conversation, even if it's not all roses we talk about. Keith does not refrain from talking about how color continues to create political and social divides and often triggers consumers into buying promises not kept by brands. The mission of his latest book Deep Color is to indeed reveal the misperceptions on color and to disclose the truth about each color in the spectrum. Not all that is white is clean, simple and pure.. Recker is the founder and editor of HAND/EYE Magazine, a print and online publication whose 10 issues cultivated a global following. The magazine profiles forward-looking creators, faraway cultures, ancient craft traditions, and cutting-edge design. HAND/EYE saw humankind’s creative future as handmade, which demands attention the struggle of artisans to earn decent livelihoods through preservation of ancient traditions, innovation of new ones, exploration of new markets, and educating the consuming public about the cultural and economic importance of their work. HAND/EYE is on a pause right now, but ripe for rebirth. The revised second edition of his book, True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments (Thrums Books) was released in September 2020, with chapters already excerpted in London-based Selvedge Magazine, NY Textile Month Journal, and reviewed in many more, including Metropolis. He is co-author of PANTONE: The Twentieth Century in Color (Chronicle, 2012), published in eight languages. His new book, Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls, debuts in September 2022. His writing on color and culture has been published by the Studio Museum of Harlem (catalog essay about Stephen Burks), Museum of Art and Design (catalog essay about African craft and its messages about the future), Brooklyn Rail (comparing the work of potter Alex Matisse with the performance work of Marina Abramovic), The Santa Fe New Mexican, and more. He has also worked in the non-profit world as a director of consumer marketing at CARE International and executive director at Aid to Artisans (as well as a board member and volunteer for 22 years). Through his involvement with Aid to Artisans, he has worked side by side with artisans from 50 countries. He has served on the boards of Art in General, Chez Bushwick, as founding chair of The Quiet in the Land (a project which brought leading contemporary artists into communities in the developing world) , and the International Folk Art Market, where he was also pro bono creative director and head of the Marketing Committee from 1996-2020.
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| S03E11 Human Betterment by Design with Shashi Caan | 06 Sep 2022 | 00:56:25 | |
Shashi Caan talks about the cultural color differences among the three continents that she has lived on, the application of color in architecture and her life mission to increase human betterment through color and design in the world. From generation gaps to the main design principles to futurist thinking, Shashi Caan her passion for her profession sparks through the entire conversation. Shashi is all about collaboration and understanding what is going on in the world to find solutions to today's problems.
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| S03E10 What is Color with Judith van Vliet | 17 Aug 2022 | 00:16:10 | |
What is Color? A question I ask all my guests on the podcast and the variety of answers has been amazing. It is such a basic question yet perhaps so hard to answer as color is such a complex topic and can have so many different meanings. Listen back to what my guests replied to this important question over the past year from their own perspectives working in design, architecture, science, food and psychology.
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| S03E09 Color Kindredness with Patti Carpenter | 02 Aug 2022 | 00:50:17 | |
Patti Carpenter will talk color trends as she travels the world to places that inspire her. Actually, it is not the places that inspire her, it's the indigenous and how they work color in their artisan products from which we all can learn so much. Patti talks about what really keeps her going, her work in artisan development in countries around the world and her desire to bring more diversity to the world of design. From high Fashion to doing what truly matters to her, helping and supporting other creatives globally and bringing back the value of true artisan development. That is Patti.
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| S03E08 The Future of Color Forecasting with Leslie Harrington | 19 Jul 2022 | 00:47:08 | |
When color-minded come together you have great conversations, proof again is my episode with Leslie Harrington. Leslie talks color strategy like very few and explains the major pitfalls in selecting color. She believes the future of color forecasting lays in data to validate intuitively made color choices. How will AI influence the jobs of color professionals and how can the two sit side by side? Listen to this intriguing color talk now!
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| S03E07 The Bottom Line of Color with Anat Lechner | 05 Jul 2022 | 00:56:29 | |
In this episode you may learn how to rationalise your color choices through data and statistics, a requirement ever more important when working with large businesses. Anat Lechner will explain how she ended up in the world of color and how her business perspective on color helps the creative industry today. Anat believes we need to first understand color before we can apply it, let alone use it to drive business decisions. Her company Huedata gives you the necessary background information to make well-informed color choices based on true market data.
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| S03E06 Global Color Visions with Sara Forsmark | 21 Jun 2022 | 00:41:19 | |
In this candid conversation I will talk with Sara Forsmark about the great challenges of creating a global color vision for the sports performance brand Adidas. How does she incorporate topics such as sustainability and inclusivity in her colourful work? Print and pattern is key in the world of apparel and footwear, how are they materialised in color visions? Sara is a fervent color advocate but even more so when it comes to debunking color perceptions and concepts, let's listen which ones nerve her the most. For Sara, color is beauty and currency; for life, humanity, design, brands and business. With color at the core, her ambition is to be a strong voice for color by creating awareness of all its qualities; as a creator of aesthetic experiences, to shaping meaningful connections between brand, culture and its audiences, and beyond. With a big picture view, she contextualises worldly movements and growing disruptive shifts into brand relevant color insights and content; and fuses creativity with science; to craft, drive and lead way for new authentic and purposeful color expressions and stories; that speaks brand, debunks aesthetic norms and provokes emotion towards a better and different tomorrow. Her work experiences span across a diverse range of categories and brands, a journey that started at agencies creating CMF designs for clients as LG, Hewlett-Packard and Bowers & Wilkins, before moving into the world of sports, shaping and steering brand global creative visions for color at adidas. A color design role she currently holds in the adidas Global Creative Direction team.
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| S03E05 Creating Design Synergies with Certosa Initiative | 06 Jun 2022 | 00:37:26 | |
Founders of Certosa Initiative Margriet Vollenberg and Remi Versteeg will reveal why they are going to be the talk of Milan Design Week in this exclusive podcast interview. How is color influencing this years' Milan Design Week and how did it influence the installations at Certosa? What are the innovations we can expect in materials, design while tapping into our multiple senses? How is combining color ever more so important and what role does the absence of color play in todays' design?
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