In the Globe, Toronto color and design consultant
Janice Lindsay extolled the power of grey in her Colour Watch column. She reports that paint companies across North America and Europe are offering all shades of grey as their new neutral palettes. But these greys are not the cold, institutional shade that is the result of mixing black and white, she writes. Instead, they are complex, "muddy" greys "that mingle and blend well with every color." Lindsay explains that unlike white walls, which "make any color look like a very loud guest," grey "makes all color look beautiful." This interest in grey was something we saw at the CGTA Gift Show and have been seeing a great deal of in fashion. It's definitely a color you should consider incorporating in your store's product mix, and when creating new displays or repainting.
In the Sunday edition of the Toronto Star, writer Leslie Scrivener did a piece titled "Sustainable Design." It showcased the work of five students from the Ontario College of Art and Design and Sheridan College. Challenged to create furniture from recycled materials these designers of the future offered chairs, tables and a lamp, all of which demonstrated how much can be made of reclaimed, recycled items. There's a video of the Sheridan design students at
www.thestar.com.
On the economic front, The Star proclaimed on its front page
"Five Reasons to Start Worrying Right Now." This article by David Olive explored how the deepening U.S. credit crisis could impact the Canadian economy. His list includes U.S. consumer fatigue (exports and tourism down); corporate expansion stalling (job losses); loss of trust in banking institutions (Bear Stearns); bank paralysis resulting in credit drying up; and tanking commodities as 2008 progresses. It's a sober analysis that gives one lots to think about. But, as always the consumer remains the wild card in the economic game.