Sensational Shades

I was pleased to recently read in a newsletter I subscribe to that stock image library Shutterstock have determined the colour trends of 2020 to be bright sensational shades. This conclusion is based on a study of their customers’ downloads and analysis of hundreds of billions of pixel data from all those images. Each of these pixels were mapped to the closest named Hex codes and the greatest growth rate between last year and this year, in terms of hues, was identified. Voilà, the trends of 2020 are predicted and exotically named: Lush Lava, Aqua Menthe, and Phantom Blue.

As they say in the article “Color is a simple, yet powerful form of messaging.” The Natural World provides us with endless examples of that. Think of the juvenile yellow boxfish that uses its bright colouration to warn any potential predators of the neurotoxins it releases from its skin when stressed or injured. Who would want to munch on that?! Or the Bornean Sun Bear with its yellow chest patch, which researchers suggest may exaggerate bears’ sizes in fights!  Think of how plants use their colour to tell animals their fruit is ready to eat… “Please eat me, poop me out and help me spread my seeds” My 5 and 7 year olds love that kind of communication and will happily discuss it in great detail over the dinner table despite me having prohibited certain topics such as poo, pee as well as charades of vomiting during meal times.

Suffice to say the list of animals and plants using their distinctive colours to communicate to other animals and plants is endless and Mother Nature is spot-on trendy! Therefore, let us all celebrate her magnificent and stunning beauty this year and let this be an opportunity to explore and discover together with our children the beautiful and Sensational Shades of Mother Nature anno 2020.

Happy New Year!