International colour association accepts first South African

Members are also required to have been involved in the use of colour when applied to the marketing of products and services.

“CMG is the only colour forecasting and trend group that accepts members based on their individual expertise and experience and not by virtue of the company they work for. To be a member one has to apply by sending a curriculum vitae, profile and plenty of information about what they have done and achieved,” says Taylor.

Taylor says she is passionate about colour and hence advises local corporate leaders, institutions, design practitioners and architects about the power and significance of colour.

Taylor, as the only member of the CMG and Southern African Development Community (SADC) distributor of Natural Colour Systems (NCS), intends to expand the current target markets from the decor industry into advertising and branding using the examples of success with brands such as Caterpillar, Virgin and Nike.

“Vibrant, colourful country”

“We are a unique, vibrant, colourful country particularly in the area of colour which comes from the development of, for example, car colours. During the isolation of the apartheid era South Africa created its own colours and the international car manufacturers have had to absorb our unique colours into their colour palettes. That is why I aim to use my knowledge and understanding of the local markets to bring this expertise to the benefit of all industries,” says Taylor.

“Most people have a basic understanding of the power of colours, like pink, for example; it's an inviting colour that releases stress. Therefore it is important to have a good grasp of the psychology of colour when dealing with brands and the colour of a products packaging. I intend to share my expertise in these areas with the advertising, packaging, design and marketing fields and to work towards growing the African member base of the CMG,” she says.

Taylor has conducted research on how South Africans perceive colour emotionally and presented a paper at the International Colour and Light Conference in Cape Town in 2003. She has also completed a 13-part series on DSTV's The Home Channel, has appeared on Top Billing and written a number of articles for a variety of consumer and trade publications in South Africa.