MODERN TRENDS IN COLOURS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29060, 24 November 1959, Page 23

MODERN TRENDS IN COLOURS

How Manufacturers Meet Demand “People in New Zealand are not colour conscious. They are colour minded, and choosing colours for the mass production of paint is getting more complex,” said Mr D. Shaw, colour expert 1 to Taubman’s Products, I td. I There was a time when manufacturers seemed to put out new colours almost haphazardly but now no large manufacturer could afford to put a colour on the market blindly, said Mr Shaw. To avoid possible losses a manufacturer had to do colour research beforehand. “Paint is important to us but we are helped in our research by the sales records in the furnishing fields, particularly fabrics. The preferences for colours in floor coverings and also in home appliances and telephones all help us. A few years ago all saucepans were one colour. All radios were one colour. All refrigerators were one colour until recent times. Now there is a tremendous demand for colour in all things,” he said. Having established what families of colours are popular we have to find out what precise tones of these colours are in favour. To do this we take a poll of the consumers through our colour service which is in contact with the public Not until a tone is firmly established as a colour is it put on the market. Conversely, if a graph Shows us that some tones in a family group are receding in favour we take them out of production.” Planning and Research Records had to be kept for at least four years before they were allowed to influence decisions on new colours. There was scientific planning and much research behind the paints offered to the public and changes were made only when they were demanded by a large proportion of the consumers. When a colour was presented to the public for selection it had to be in a flat or gloss finish just as it would appear when put on a surface. “The tendency now is for a purer, cleaner colour. There is an upsurge in the use of pinks, yellows, and turquoises. The monochromatic scheme of colour in the Princess Margaret Hospital is a good example of the modern trend which also extends to domestic use,” said Mr Shaw. “It did not always follow that a colour popular in Australia was popular in New Zealand too. Sometimes a paint of a certain colour had to be manufactured specially for the New Zealand market.

Mr Shaw is in New Zealand to meet architects and others who have to decide upon colours in paints or other materials.