What's next in colour?

Introducing NCS Colour Trends

NCS Colour Trends is our yearly trend forecast that gives a unique insight into the international drivers for colour, offering relevant colour palettes and attributes to suit any market and industry. Learn more about the project, its development and the yearly trends below!

Just launched! NCS Colour Trends 2025+

The importance of colour

Colour is the very first feature we notice on an object or in a space. This first perception immediately leads us to the conclusion whether we like what we see or not. Colour is important, more so than we generally realise. Research has shown that a purchase decision is based up to 90% purely on what colour a product has. Therefore, it is fundamental for manufacturers and producers to be able to decide on exactly the right colour, at the right time.

The difference between the right colour and the wrong colour is sometimes very small, which means that exact colour description and analysis is important. If you master the ability to define which colour will be trendy and therefore more likely to appeal to consumers, you are also more likely to succeed with your project. 

Developing Colour Trends

NCS System as a forecast foundation

With the NCS System, we can describe any surface colour and give it the visual description, an NCS code. The NCS System is based on the elementary colours, creating a descriptive model called the NCS Colour Space, which takes a very important role in identifying exact colour positions or colour areas of the hue and the nuance. The NCS Colour Circle that describes the hue of a colour, and the NCS Colour Triangle which describes the nuance of a colour.

To be able to describe the direction and the colour movements, and map our preferences, the NCS Colour Space is a necessary tool. By plotting the colours into the NCS Colour Circle and the NCS Triangle, we can analyse the colours of the past, the preferred colours of today, and with this conclude into which direction the colour hues and nuances will move.

Colour trends are psychology; it is all about understanding which colours that are important and make us feel happy, meaningful, and functional. It is fundamental to understand what is going on in our society, and how these happenings and events are affecting us. This means both which colours are popular and which moods are dominating amongst us.

the process

Developing NCS Colour Trends

Developing trend colours is a dynamic and creative process, based on data, analysis and staying ahead of societal shifts, cultural movements and events. As trends emerge from different parts of the world, global influences need to be considered. At NCS Colour, we have worked with trend forecasting for 10+ years. Together with a team of international CMF and trend experts, we set out on our mission to annually deliver a trend forecast, entailing the most sought after colours for the coming years, along with insights in materials and finishes.

Each trend expert participates with their own colour analysis at a workshop, covering their explicit field of expertise. The last couple of years the workshop has been arranged at Baolab, Milan, Italy. Together, the trend council analyses the forecasts, spending plenty of time to align, discuss and share thoughts, defining the most important drivers. This is followed by sessions where the colours are selected accordingly, forming the result which is the NCS Colour Trends forecast. The forecast is shared in an exclusive magazine, together with a fan deck which gives a good overview of the colours. The fan deck is coated and produced in the highest quality possible, to give the best representation of the colour.

Get to know the trend council

The forecast is developed by a team consisting of internationally renowned experts within their field. NCS Colour Trends represents a comprehensive, cross-functional, international colour analysis. The primary objective is to provide stakeholders and industry professionals involved in colour decisions guidance in the process of selecting colours for their missions. The forecast is researched and curated by renowned colour experts who contribute their insights about global socio-cultural trends and CMF – colours, materials and finishes. A special thanks to our trend panel for their valuable input in our trend forecasts.

"Over the past 10+ years of trend forecasting, NCS Colour has fine-tuned a method to anticipate trend movements using the intelligence of the NCS System and through collaboration with renowned international colour experts. We are proud to present the 2025+ trend forecast with the goal to inspire customers and offer insights into trend movements, enabling well-informed colour decisions and the creation of captivating colour harmonies across various industries."

– Elin Askfelt, CEO, NCS Colour

DISCOVER

Get more NCS inspiration

Picks from our blog

View all