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Argyle, a true, earth-inspired green, will enter the color scene with considerable buildup: billing by one very influential color and design power as the “Color of 2012.” 

Argyle is an earth-inspired green.

This “preppy” shade may prove to be the life of the party—only time will tell.

“It’s a green park bench in an emerald forest,” said Jackie Jordan, director of color marketing for The Sherwin-Williams Company. Jordan recently selected the hue as the company’s color of the year.

Jackie Jordan

“It’s the color of commerce and the color of our anticipation of greener pastures ahead. It is influenced by fashion, nature, ecology and the economy,” she added.

With the beginning of a new year fast approaching, paintmakers and color experts have been talking up the top shades that will figure most prominently in design, commerce and society at large in 2012. Just last week Pantone danced into the spotlight with its “Color of 2012”—Tangerine Tango. See Tangerine Tango Dances to Center of 2012 Color Stage, Pantone Says.

Going Green

We asked Jordan to elaborate on the challenge of making a color prediction in the current environment. She said argyle incites a variety of responses in the current climate.

“During this time we are still uncertain about what is to come and so we have the mindset of ‘greener pastures.’” Argyle provides a literal connection to this longing, she noted.

Also, the hue is associated with money, commerce and “all things economic,” she said.

Then there’s the reality that the idea of “being green” is no longer a “niche or a fad.” It’s about what individuals do on a daily basis, like recycling, Jordan said. The green wave and sustainability are clearly imbued in our culture, and the argyle shade provides a literal connection to that shift as well, she proposes.

The color is one of 40 hues in Sherwin-Williams’ color forecast for 2012, a spectrum that encompasses bold reds, watery blues, natural greens and neutral shades. For more information on Sherwin-Williams’ palette and other colors expected to trend upward in 2012 see the D+D News story The Color Landscape: A Bolder Spectrum, with ‘Authentic’ Tilt.

“We’ll see this color in both residential and commercial spaces,” Jordan says of S-W’s pick for the Color of the Year, adding that glimpses of this interpretation of green are currently “popping up in fashion and in small accessories.”

She concedes the color is not for everyone. “It’s not a color that appeals to a lot of people,” she said, adding that she anticipates that as the color gains momentum, it will be incorporated into interior elements. As examples, she cites a leather chair or an accent wall.

In arriving at the “Color of the Year,” Jordan selects “the one shade that has the most relevance to the world and culture in general.” For 2011, the choice was Indigo Batik, a navy blue that carried a vintage theme.

This year, “it’s all about green,” Jordan said.

More information: www.swstir.com.

ABOUT THE THE BLOGGER Jill M. Speegle Jill Speegle is the Editor of Durability + Design News. She earned her B.A. in journalism and English as well as her J.D. from the University of Arkansas. In Sketches, Jill shares her thoughts on a number of topics that may be of interest to the D+D community, including architecture, interior design, green building, historic restoration, and whatever else catches her radar. SEE ALL CONTENT FROM THIS CONTRIBUTOR