Color Marketing Group records
Creation: 1962-2024Abstract
Color Marketing Group (CMG) is an international professional association focused on color forecasting, color trends, and design. It is volunteer-run by its members and seeks to foster the exchange of non-competitive information and insight across industries. This collection reflects Color Marketing Group’s activities from its founding in 1962 into the 2020s. The bulk of the materials consists of color forecasts, including color cards, color chips, fan decks, and other color samples. There are also extensive materials related to CMG’s conferences, as well as a run of “Color Chips” newsletters.
Dates
- Creation: 1962-2024
Creator
- Color Marketing Group (Organization)
Extent
10 Linear Feet
5.52 Gigabytes
1302 digital_files
Historical Note
Color Marketing Group (CMG) is an international professional association focused on color forecasting, color trends, and design. It is volunteer-run by its members and seeks to foster the exchange of non-competitive information and insight across industries.
CMG was founded in 1962 to address the need for a coordinated approach to color marketing and merchandising. Its early members felt that the color associations of the time—particularly, the Inter-Society Color Council in the United States—were overly focused on color science and insufficiently equipped to support the commercial aspects of color. Everett R. Call (1922-2011) of the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association; Robert Eppinger (1934?-2014?) of Baumritter Corporation; and Louis A. Graham (1925-2020) of the American Viscose Corporation initially met, along with other color professionals, in June 1962 to explore the idea of forming a new inter-industry association. From this meeting, a Steering Committee was formed, and the Color Marketing Group’s first conference was organized in New York City for November 1962. Graham was named the first chairperson of CMG.
A regular schedule of spring and fall conferences was established, featuring speakers, discussion groups, panels, receptions and banquets, committee meetings, business meetings, and local tours. In 1963, CMG member Elizabeth Burris-Meyer (1899-?), kitchen editor for House and Garden magazine, proposed the idea of a COLORFAIR—a venue for presenting colored swatches of available products from members’ companies, organized by color as opposed to usage, industry, or type. The COLORFAIR became the main focus of CMG conferences during the 1960s.
In 1970, Color Marketing Group began supplementing its conferences with smaller U.S. regional meetings, and in 1972 it introduced its first color forecasting initiative: Color Directions. CMG’s color forecasting was conducted during workshops held at its main semi-annual conferences. Participation was reserved for color professionals whose work included developing colors and anticipating color trends in their industries. Workshop participants completed worksheets prior to the conference, then worked collaboratively in small groups to develop their forecasts. Workshop Captains took the resulting forecasts to CMG’s Steering Committee, which in turn developed the association’s consensus color palette. The Color Directions palette (later Consumer Color Directions) was forecast two years in advance at the spring conference for the residential/consumer market. It was joined in 1981 by Contract Color Directions, which forecast two years in advance at the fall conference for the commercial/contract market. Consumer Colors Current and Contract Colors Current reflected available colors on the market and were intended for color professionals who were designing with colors, as opposed to forecasting them.
In 1990, the conferences became international in scope, expanding into four days plus a pre-conference welcome by the 2000s. In 2011, the conferences became International Summits, with a shortened format, occurring once per year. Regional ChromaZone workshops were established that same year. Common conference locations include New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Dallas, Tampa, Toronto, and Montreal. In the 2020s, CMG’s international regions include North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with meetings occurring in those regions. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, CMG maintained its color forecasting program by introducing virtual color forecasting events.
Color Marketing Group’s members reflect a wide range of industries, including paints and pigments, automotive, textiles, dyestuffs, apparel, interiors, furniture, floor coverings, packaging, and advertising. Membership was established for individuals who were approved by a selection committee based on qualifications; it has since expanded to include corporate membership. Membership began with fifty-five attendees of the first conference in 1962. By 1997, it reached 1,400 but began to decline following the 2008 Great Recession and stood at approximately 300 in 2025.
In 1976, a Chair Holder system was introduced in which members who volunteered their time earned points toward becoming a Chair Holder, a status that allowed for the display of the Color Marketing Group logo on one’s business card. Chair Holders had the opportunity to run for a three-year term on the CMG board of directors. This system is no longer in place.
While Color Marketing Group’s members are volunteers, the association hired an administrative staff in 1977, establishing an office in Washington, D.C. It moved its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, by 1987, but currently operates from Washington again.
Scope and Contents
This collection reflects Color Marketing Group’s activities from its founding in 1962 into the 2020s. The bulk of the materials consists of color forecasts, including color cards, color chips, fan decks, and other color samples. There are also extensive materials related to CMG’s conferences, as well as a run of “Color Chips” newsletters.
The collection is arranged into seven series: Administrative, Membership, Chronological files, Conferences, Color palettes and forecasts, Publications and publicity, and Non-CMG materials.
The Administrative series consists of Color Marketing Group’s 1962 incorporation documents, by-laws, and a single annual report from 1982.
The Membership series consists primarily of membership directories from 1980 to 2008. Also included is a file of member biographies from 1977 that provides detailed profiles on CMG members, as well as membership applications and manuals from the 1990s, a membership ledger covering 1995 to 2005, and a member welcome packet from 2019.
The Chronological files series consists of materials that were gathered for research purposes regarding Color Marketing Group’s history, including both analog and digital materials. A binder appears to have been assembled for the purpose of writing the article: Hidefi, Montaha. "Color Marketing Group: Six Decades of Color Forecasting," presented at the International Color Association/Association Internationale de la Couleur (AIC) conference Sensing Color, June 13-16, 2022, in Toronto, Canada. A copy of the article is included. That file also contains CMG conference programs, memos, speeches, articles, and reports from 1962 to 1989. Similar materials appear in digital files, spanning 1962 to 2019. There is some overlap between the two, but they are not copies of each other.
The Conferences series consists of materials related to Color Marketing Group’s spring and fall conferences, as well as some smaller regional meetings and workshops. A group of conference programs spans from 1964 to 2018. A group of conference packets have been kept in their original order, reflecting how they were mailed to participants in envelopes; materials include name badges, schedules, flyers, inserts, programs, and hotel information. These packets also contain related materials that were interfiled by the original owner, including workshop information, report backs, memos, and planning documents. There is one file of planning documents from 2022, and one file related to regional meetings from 1997.
The Color palettes and forecasts series consists of color palettes, color chips, color samples, and fan decks from various Color Marketing Group forecasting programs, as well as accompanying reports and related materials. The series is arranged into eleven sub-series: Color Directions/Consumer Color Directions, Colors Current/Consumer Colors Current, Contract Colors/Contract Color Directions, Contract Colors Current, Fashion Color Directions, Color binders, Color card packets, International palettes and forecasts, Workshops and routing sheets, Reports, and Fan decks. Each sub-series is arranged chronologically.
The Color Directions/Consumer Color Directions sub-series spans from 1975 to 1997 and consists of colors developed at the spring conference. Forecast two years out, these palettes were intended for consumer home goods. Packets include colors assembled together in a folded card, individual color chips, sometimes accompanying report backs, and sometimes textile samples.
The Colors Current/Consumer Colors Current sub-series spans from 1990 to 1996 and consists of colors developed at the spring conference. These palettes were intended for color professionals who were designing with colors, not forecasting them. Packets include colors assembled together in a folded card and accompanying report backs.
The Contract Colors/Contract Color Directions sub-series spans from 1984 to 1997 and consists of colors developed at the fall conference. Forecast two years out, these palettes were intended for the commercial business sector. Packets include colors assembled together in a folded card, individual color chips, workshop reports, and accompanying report backs.
The Contract Colors Current sub-series spans from 1994 to 1996 and consists of colors developed at the fall conference. These palettes were intended for color professionals who were designing with colors, not forecasting them. Packets include colors assembled together in a folded card and accompany report backs.
The Fashion Color Directions Forecast sub-series spans from about 1980 to 1997 and consists of textile samples, as well as thread color cards for 1982 and workshop reports.
The Color binders sub-series spans from 1997 to 2009 and consists of binder contents that were mailed to Color Marketing Group members. The binders were intended to be filled throughout the year with additional mailings. Binders include Consumer Color Directions palettes, Consumer Colors Current palettes, Contract Color Directions palettes, Contract Colors Current palettes, relevant report backs, supplemental palettes and samples from companies such as Pantone and Dorn Color, “Color Chips” newsletters, conference information, and additional CMG reports.
The Color card packets sub-series spans from 2010 to 2014 and consists of Color Marketing Group packets of color palettes, an apparent switch from the color binder format. During these years, the Consumer and Contract Color Directions palettes changed names to Consumer/Contract Next; the Consumer and Contract Colors Current palettes switched to Consumer/Contract Colors Now. In 2012, the format rebranded to North American Forecast 2014+. Packets also include advertisements from CMG partner Dorn Color, as well as some report backs.
The International palettes and forecasts sub-series spans from 2009 to 2024 and consist of color palettes that were organized into binders by global region: North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. A World Forecast binder includes color palettes from all regions, along with Color Forecast Evolution cards for each region that display color trends over time.
The Worksheets and routing sheets sub-series spans from 2012 to 2017 and consists of working documents used during various Color Marketing Group workshops at conferences. Routing sheets reflect the development of individual colors during the workshop process. Materials have been kept together in their original groupings.
The Reports sub-series spans from 1978 to 2000 and consists of reports that weren’t included in the main color forecasting programs.
The Fan decks sub-series spans from 1986 to 2023 and consists of fan decks, which are smaller, handheld versions of color palettes. Fan decks often accompanied the larger-format color palettes and color cards but have been separated here for preservation purposes. The sub-series has been arranged in the order of CMG’s palette programs reflected in previous sub-series, followed by additional fan decks that do not fit that schema, as well as supplemental fan decks from Pantone, Colorcurve, Munsell Color System, Pantone Plastics Color System, and EM Industries.
The Publications and publicity series consists of CMG promotional materials, broadly defined. It is arranged into three sub-series: "Color Chips" newsletter, Press releases and promotional materials, and Photographs.
The “Color Chips” newsletter sub-series consists of issues of “Color Chips” from 1971 to 2024. Two copies of each issue have been kept, where present. “Color Chips” is distributed to Color Marketing Group members and covers CMG conferences and events, committee activities, industry trends and news, and feature articles.
The Press releases and promotional materials sub-series spans from 1969 to 1999 and consists of press releases, letterhead and logo samples, factsheets, and promotional brochures.
The Photographs sub-series spans from the 1980s to 2022 and consists of both formal and informal images, including headshots and portraits of CMG presidents, the executive team, and speakers used for publication and promotional materials; group portraits; and award ceremony photographs, as well as photographs of conferences, workshops, and receptions.
The Non-CMG materials series consists of color cards and color chips produced by other companies, often including the Color Marketing Group logo and branding, indicating some sort of collaboration. Also included are educational materials from Munsell Color Systems and Colorcurve, Pantone materials, and a reference work on color naming.
Access Restrictions
Seven-year time seal from the date of creation on color forecasts due to privacy/security reasons. Five-year time seal from the date of creation on all other materials due to privacy/security reasons. Restriction notices appear in the file titles of all impacted materials.
Use Restrictions
Copyright of materials remains with the Color Marketing Group.
Language of Materials
English
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Color Marketing Group records
- Author:
- Diane E. Bockrath
- Date:
- 2026
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
