ColorNext Archive

Colour of the molten sun, fall leaves, the richest amber, the ripest fruit. An orange of a deep, dense hue. With none of the ferocity of red but all its passion, none of the casualness of yellow but all its cheer.

An Indian ethos is emerging, stronger than before, where public spaces are given as much care as the private. Indians are claiming spaces outside their own front door, colouring it with their unique, beautiful soul.

In these times of frenzied information exchange where every human action is potential data for large corporates to mine, the individual is claiming his independence, using his discretion and diligence to navigate the world on his own terms.

The irrepressible human spirit spills out with humour and surprising perspectives rescuing us from the grey of urban existence.

These are fertile times, everything is just right for entrepreneurship to flourish and businesses big and small are mushrooming everywhere.

Red. Truer, deeper, Madder Red. A colour that has travelled the world from Central Asia to India, through the Levant to the West. Greek dyers were brought to France to recreate this revolutionary red, spies were sent to the Near East to unearth the secret to it. A red to dye for, some would say. Three centuries later, Madder Red remains an expression of the indomitable spirit of the individual that unites the varied currents we see in society today. The individual has taken centre stage. There is a resurgence of the I, and an awareness of its power to inspire the we. Like a recoiled spring that holds within itself the energy to power forward, yet remains unassuming to the outside world, the individual rests in the confidence of this potential. There is a fire within- not the raging, restless kind but one that fuels new beginnings. It comes from an intensity of passion, and the power of conviction. Ablaze like the core of the earth, yet contained.

The world is celebrating the bold, the edgy, the creative. The next big idea could be anywhere, and the freedom of the internet has made all of us both creators and curators of contemporary culture.

Transcending cultural, geographical and physical borders with the internet, we are united by the power of a shared passion. We are finding ourselves through collective identities.

In a world that’s constantly asking what’s next, a growing force is in search of the original. Classic isn’t a characteristic of age, but a mark of the ageless.

Growing up doesn’t mean settling down. The contemporary urban Indian is unafraid to live in the now, on a journey through experiences that change the way they see the world.

Intense Ocean. Lapping distant sands, washing ashore forgotten stories from its depths. Its rhythm soothing, its colour, layered. Greener than blue, bluer than grey. The green, stable and enduring like the colour of the Anahata Chakra (the heart chakra in yogic tradition); the blue, deep and calm; and the grey undertone, mature — brightening the soft and softening the harsh. If the pursuit of balance had a hue, it would be this. Reflecting the mood of a people waiting to exhale, Colour of the year 2017 paints the hope and resolve of the times we live in, in one fluid stroke.

In the age of instant gratification, there is a growing appreciation for the journey to finding life’s finer experiences.

Caught in the sway of drought and flood, a parched earth has become a natural fountainhead of creative activism.

A search for indigenous identities and ideas is questioning the dominance of a homogenized world while celebrating a sense of belonging to our cultural ancestry.

Bots are programmed. Humans are human. Or vice versa? As technology weaves its way through every aspect of our life, we are looking for machines that are as human as us.

An inner unrest is afoot and with it, a journey of self discovery. Ready to shed our inhibitions, we’re in search of clarity — as a collective and as individuals. Looking at the past and the future in equal measure, like memories pressed in glowing amber, we are retelling our own tales. The urgent need to reach out is seeing a move to connect beyond the filtered frames of social media. We’re opening-up ourselves to others, and our minds to theirs.

When everything we need is at the touch of a screen, we are yearning for the touch of human emotion. Beyond pings, likes and constantly buzzing groups, we are moving towards real gatherings of loved ones, the warmth of a long-lost embrace and a spontaneous smile, even a scowl, over the perfectly coloured smiley. Do we dare leave the comfort of our technology-enabled cocoons? Can we risk a true connection?

We are returning to seek the human. Imperfect, vulnerable and beautifully real.

YOLO finds a place in the Oxford dictionary. A day at the co-working space is punctuated by #fitnessgoals, and the line between life and work begins to blur as the multifaceted post their stories for the world to envy. Everyone’s busy doing the new and the now. When working lunches and post-work pub-crawls are all in a day’s work, colleagues become friends become family. And, as you travel on business with a side of pleasure, all that matters is that you do what you love what you do, making every second count. There’s #notimetosleep and that’s awesome!

The past has a quiet way of being present. And, we’re beginning to listen. Through people and places, of myths and mysteries. Of that which has been. Of that which we may not find in the fraying pages of public libraries, but in conversations with everyday people — our grandmothers, the cobbler or the shopkeeper around the corner. We are seeking answers through personal histories and photographs, documenting the past through those who lived it. A generation that’s racing around making memories, is realising that memories make us.

There is one common thread across the biggest political, social, spiritual and celluloid celebrities of the year — the unapologetic theatre of the absurd. It’s difficult to tell the puppet from the puppeteer, but it’s easy to see they have the world strung up. The irrational has gained legitimacy, and the most rational are taking note, and a cue. Get a rise out of them, at least you’ll know they’re listening. From art and fashion to news and social protest, the unabashedly untamed has become a powerful medium of expression.

Millennials have redefined what growing up means and Gen Z raises or lowers the bar,
depending on which side of the year 2000 you belong to. The conventional college-marriage-car-house route to adulthood is so 20th century! Why tie yourself down within a few hundred square feet when the world is your home. Why buy the year’s best car when you can get a chauffeur driven ride, anytime,anywhere. One year with the same phone...#commitment!
Adulting ain’t child’s play and the new kids on the design block are creating fuss-free spaces that adapt to changing needs. Smart, modular and lightweight is the style du jour. From shared workspaces to shared homes, Adulting will influence everything we design and create

Our imagination has taken flight. Fantasy weaves through nature, sprouting dense forests of feral flowers, magical creatures and a handful of stardust. Is it the disconnect from nature that’s making the technology-bound yearn for an escape? Or the manicured minimalism of our times? Perhaps, a bit of both.
Anchored in the intensely human connection with nature and a resurgent confidence in maximal expression, Enchanted brings alive surreal visions in our spaces – outsized, extravagant, lavish and whimsical.

The world of luxury is in flux – inheritance is no longer a shortcut or a guarantee. A new
wave of story tellers with immersive and intimate stories that celebrate the creator and the process is breaking down traditional codes of luxe. The stories attach meaning and value, elevating everyday interactions to pleasurable experiences.
The new connoisseurs of luxury seek this real connection — with the products and experiences they buy into and the makers who craft them. The new luxury is authentic, personal and often local to the places they inhabit. And it is echoed in the tangible and intangible choices we make for our surroundings.

Welcome to a radical new natural! Materials of the future are reinventing the future of material. Bio-facturing is bridging the gap between man-made and nature born. Experimenting with algae, bio-polymers, bacterial cellulose, and fungi as raw materials, designers turn alchemists to harvest living materials. Designed to degrade, closed-loop, zero legacy engineered nature is the pulse of sustainable innovation. The future is bio-curious!

The year 2020 is marked by a yearning for knowledge and a strong desire for progression.With wellbeing and self-growth as our highest priority, we chart a path to further our pursuits,to expand our potential and lead our best life.
A radiant colour that represents our simmering hunger to expand our potential, Curiosity is a shade that’s high on chroma and low on grey value. Inspired by azurite, the copper mineral ore, it is a concentrated colour brimming with energy. A modern and clear blue, it energizes us with an optimism to persist with our focussed pursuits, and be the best version of ourselves.

Potent is an essence that offers an amplified experience, a powerhouse packed with intensity like a nucleus. Rooted in knowledge, Potent represents a shift in our preference to partake in fewer but more concentrated experiences.

Mystique is a visual manifestation of our desire to explore ancient wisdom, practices and philosophies. Be it for reasons of self-actualisation, therapy or our everlasting cosmic curiosity. Mystique visually expresses a new-age spiritualism with a penchant for the past.

Blend is a new pursuit of creativity, the rise of the polymath culture. Where disparate fields merge to create non-vanilla experiences and the sum is always greater than its parts. Led by the outliers, Blend challenges the ideas of form, function, perception and bias that once restricted creativity.

Sonic explores how we willingly engage with sound to expand our potential and explore the unseen dimensions of our mind.
Let me know if you all need a quick call to go over this.

Nurturing, humble and fresh, Ivy League 7585 restores that sense of balance which we dearly seek. A colour that’s neither too warm nor cold, its mint green nudges growth while a hint of blue heals us and revitalises our mood. Ivy League brings our restless mind to a place of hope as we imagine a better world and a balanced self.

Habitat is a story of coexistence and humility – of pausing and observing the world around us and having transformed in this moment of stillness. There is no “back to normal” for we can’t unsee our lopsided past. It’s time for a systemic rethink of how we exist and coexist with the world.

A Home New World represents a mindset change in how we relate to our home and work spaces. Home is an entire ecosystem where worlds that were otherwise separate, now collide. As we hack our spaces to serve new needs, we demand solutions that are accessible, multifunctional and adaptable.

Felicity reflects a change in behaviour – a conscious choice to consume things that possess real value over flaunt value of an ephemeral nature. Indulgence takes a backseat as we surround ourselves with things that serve a purpose, are beautiful and provide us a lasting sense of comfort. Things that add abundance in our lives by eliminating the frills.

We are who we are. Aware but not tied to isms. Authentic. You may think we’re weird, but to us, WE matter more than your judgements. Society, community, politics and the environment, justice and fairness, matter. We’re tired of talk – we act. We’re tired of waiting for things to be fixed – we fix them. Behind our screens, we’re stirring up a revolution.