Playtime: A Journey through Dunn-Edwards 2020 Color + Design Trends

Dunn-Edwards recently unveiled its 2020 trends color + design report, Optimistic Endeavors: Tales of Tomorrow. The five trend stories are highlighted through a series of video short stories, along with corresponding color palettes — so expect to see an explosion of bright, deep colors next year as we welcome in a new decade that promises to be filled with optimism and joyful life experiences.

Playtime

Self-seeking of enjoyment and immersion in the experience of NOW. Acting on a desire for fun and adventure. Real, authentic moments that recharge and renew our spirits. Passionately pursuing what makes you happy without expectations or assumptions. Live for today, for tomorrow is not promised. Art beautifies the cities, while new ideas emerge on the concept of property and home ownership, reflecting Millennial influences.

Color

Polychromatic bright, poppy colors and bold Memphis patterns urge us to live in the present and enjoy every moment. We don’t just break the rules — we smash them into a million, juicy pieces.

Color is fanciful and playful, like a rainbow sky. Upbeat multi-colors express the charm of the summer. Combinations infuse super-synthetics with sugary pastels such as fluoride pink and peroxide yellows, as well as sweet pink and glam red. The sizzling vivid hues are for the young at heart, full of passion and life.

Oranges represent new ideas and freedom from limitations. Blues are playful, pool-party hues that rejuvenate fun-seeking, freedom from worry and optimism. Bright blues are contagious, full of vivacity, creating a re-awakening of the senses. Electric yellow is pulsating, vibrant and alive — paying homage to tropical destinations, including Acapulco, Portugal and the Canary Coast. Bright green states, “This is my moment to make it happen!” Color fuses soft-psychedelia with surrealism. Graphic and synthetic, acidic pastels, sugary, fruity and eccentric.

Materials and Textures

Rules of form, function and color are tossed aside. More is more — a rejection of conventions leads to “anything goes” and paired-back sophistication is abandoned in favor of difference, fun and individuality. Rebelling against minimalism, youthful designers embrace a maximalist aesthetic, piling color on color, texture on texture, pattern on pattern.

Surrealism is embraced among joyful juxtapositions of clashing influences and aesthetics. The past and present collide to create fantastical mash-ups of styles that represent pick-and-mix identities. Memphis design highlights this youthful trend.

To find more inspiration from our 2020 color + design trends stories and see the other four videos, visit us here. To view the full range of trending 2020 colors, visit us here.