Click here to view the embedded video.
Not that long ago, I read a short feature about the colour library at J.Crew headquarters including how each hue is brainstormed, named and archived. My colour loving heart skipped a beat (or four). I love brands and designers that worship colour not only because it is a subject worthy of worship but because it is simply smart business sense. According to research, 85% of shoppers point to color as the primary reason they buy a particular product. I can’t count the number of times I have been entranced by an item only to wish the colour was slightly different (or in some cases, very different!) All creative and functional elements of a design are essential to its successful outcome but I often wish that more designers/companies put as much passion into the colour department as the sales department. Doing so can only benefit creative success and, in turn, the financial bottom line.
Above is a fantastic short film by J.Crew focused on their vibrant coat designs. It also highlights the brand’s love of colour and all of the art AND science that goes into making successful hue selections. I believe that so much of J.Crew’s success is related to their meticulous and wildly creative use of colour. Each season, I am excited to see what palette they have selected as the colours are always beautifully saturated, unique and seamlessly mixed (all without leaning too heavily on dictated trends). Yes, I would really love to visit that sublime library at J.Crew headquarters one day. What a dreamy world of swatches and colour cataloguing…
(video via j.crew, statistic via kissmetrics, screenshots by plenty of colour)