International Colour Authority
Encyclopedia
The International Colour Authority (ICA) is a private organization publishing forecasts
about colour trends for the coming seasons, to be used by industry designers
. It also awards a Seal of Approval that companies may display in their promotional materials if the colour ranges they use are appraised by the ICA.
ICA forecasts were launched in 1968. Since then, a panel of international colour specialists gathers twice a year in London
to select the next colour palette
. The selection is published 22 months ahead of the retail selling season, thus constituting the earliest colour trend prediction available to the furniture
design and textile
industries. Nowadays the ICA is one of the leading colour forecasters for the industry, along with the Color Marketing Group
. Their products are "high-quality forecast publications containing an abundance of accurate information on market trends", which ranks them among "the favourite publications of many professionals", according to an article published by the International Trade Centre
.
Colours in the ICA colour guides are referenced using the Pantone
standard, the Natural Color System
(NCS) standard, or both.
ICA has now launched an online service through which subscribers can download the forecasts, and is creating an online newsletter, World Colour News.
Forecasting
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes have not yet been observed. A commonplace example might be estimation for some variable of interest at some specified future date. Prediction is a similar, but more general term...
about colour trends for the coming seasons, to be used by industry designers
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
. It also awards a Seal of Approval that companies may display in their promotional materials if the colour ranges they use are appraised by the ICA.
ICA forecasts were launched in 1968. Since then, a panel of international colour specialists gathers twice a year in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to select the next colour palette
Palette (painting)
A palette , in the original sense of the word, is a rigid, flat surface on which a painter arranges and mixes paints. A palette is usually made of wood, plastic, ceramic, or other hard, inert, nonporous material, and can vary greatly in size and shape...
. The selection is published 22 months ahead of the retail selling season, thus constituting the earliest colour trend prediction available to the furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
design and textile
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
industries. Nowadays the ICA is one of the leading colour forecasters for the industry, along with the Color Marketing Group
Color Marketing Group
The Color Marketing Group is an international association for color design professionals which identifies the direction of color and design trends and translates them into salable colors for manufactured products....
. Their products are "high-quality forecast publications containing an abundance of accurate information on market trends", which ranks them among "the favourite publications of many professionals", according to an article published by the International Trade Centre
International Trade Centre
The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.The following statement about the ITC is taken verbatim from its website, and reflects the ITC's official view of its own functions:...
.
Colours in the ICA colour guides are referenced using the Pantone
Pantone
Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space...
standard, the Natural Color System
Natural Color System
The Natural Color System is a proprietary perceptual color model published by the Scandinavian Colour Institute of Stockholm, Sweden. It is based on the color opponency description of color vision, first proposed by German physiologist Ewald Hering...
(NCS) standard, or both.
ICA has now launched an online service through which subscribers can download the forecasts, and is creating an online newsletter, World Colour News.
Color Forecasting Trade Associations
- The Color Marketing GroupColor Marketing GroupThe Color Marketing Group is an international association for color design professionals which identifies the direction of color and design trends and translates them into salable colors for manufactured products....
(CMG) - The Color Association of the United States (CAUS)
- The International Colour Authority (ICA)
Color Matching/Management Organizations
- PantonePantonePantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space...
- International Color ConsortiumInternational Color ConsortiumThe International Color Consortium was formed in 1993 by eight industry vendors in order to create a universal color management system that would function transparently across all operating systems and software packages....
(ICC) - International Commission on IlluminationInternational Commission on IlluminationThe International Commission on Illumination is the international authority on light, illumination, color, and color spaces...