Short answer
Colour forecasting is done by subscription forecasters such as WGSN, by trade associations such as Color Marketing Group, by colour-standards companies such as Pantone, and by the in-house teams of large paint makers such as AkzoNobel and Sherwin-Williams. Their methods are panels of invited experts plus research the forecasters describe but do not publish, and their lead times range from about a month to about two years depending on how long their customers' products take to reach shops.
The published descriptions of method are strikingly similar. AkzoNobel's Global Aesthetic Center invites a group of independent designers, architects and journalists to an annual meeting — its creative director has put the number at roughly ten to fifteen — where the discussion of social and economic mood is distilled into four trend themes, one of which becomes the colour. Sherwin-Williams says its colour team researches trends through the year, publishes them as its Colormix forecast, and picks the Color of the Year from that palette. Color Marketing Group, a not-for-profit association active since 1962, has members produce forecasts at ChromaZone workshops. None of these describes a consumer survey or a sales model as the deciding input: they are structured expert judgement.
How far ahead a forecaster works is set by how long its customers need. Apparel and consumer-product brands commit to colours well before goods reach shops, so WGSN announces its Colour of the Year about two years ahead — Luminous Blue for 2027 was announced in April 2025, Radiant Earth for 2028 in March 2026 — and sells the fuller seasonal forecast to subscribers. Paint makers can tint any colour on demand, so their announcements come three or four months before the year. Pantone announces in December for the following year. The table on this page computes each authority's lead time from the dated announcements in the dataset.
A forecast bought by many brands does not only predict a market; it helps make one. If enough product teams receive the same palette two years ahead and design to it, the colours appear in shops because they were forecast. That is a real effect and one reason forecasters can report high accuracy — but it also means accuracy measured against what reached shops is not independent evidence of foresight. WGSN states accuracy figures in its releases (93% in 2025, 94% in 2026) without publishing how they are calculated, so they cannot be checked. Paint makers' announcements are less exposed to this loop because a paint colour is made to order and the brand earns the same whichever colour a customer picks.
The name is part of the forecast product. AkzoNobel's creative director has listed the criteria for naming: memorable in news coverage, relatable across countries, and legally protectable — which is why several of its recent names carry a trade-mark sign. WGSN and Coloro pair a descriptive name with a Coloro numeric code; Pantone pairs a name with its own numbered standard; paint makers pair it with a catalogue number. This section records the name and, where published openly, the reference code, but never a colour value, because none of these authorities licenses its colour data for reuse.
| Authority | Dated announcements | Range (months) | Median (months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone Color Institute | 2 | 1–1 | 1 |
| AkzoNobel (Dulux) ColourFutures | 4 | 4–4 | 4 |
| Sherwin-Williams | 1 | 4–4 | 4 |
| Benjamin Moore | 6 | 3–3 | 3 |
| WGSN with Coloro | 2 | 21–22 | 22 |
Each statement is labelled by kind — established fact, a standard’s requirement, observed market data, a convention, or Colourwise’s own interpretation or analysis — with the strength of the evidence behind it.
FactStrong evidence
WGSN states that it forecasts its Colour of the Year two years ahead using a mix of proprietary data and expert judgement; it announced Luminous Blue for 2027 on 29 April 2025 and Radiant Earth for 2028 on 19 March 2026.
Source: WGSN x Coloro Colour of the Year; WGSN and Coloro reveal Colour of the Year 2027, Luminous Blue, and S/S 27 Key Colours; WGSN and Coloro announce the Colour of the Year for 2028
FactModerate evidence
AkzoNobel describes its ColourFutures forecast as an annual meeting of invited international experts convened by its Global Aesthetic Center, whose outcome is translated into palettes for its brands across many markets.
Caveat: This is the company's own account of its method; no independent description was found.
FactModerate evidence
Color Marketing Group is a not-for-profit association that has provided colour forecasts to its members since 1962, produced at ChromaZone forecasting workshops.
Caveat: Self-description; the association does not publish an evaluation of its past forecasts.
Source: About Color Marketing Group
FactLimited evidence
WGSN's releases quote forecast accuracy of 93% (April 2025) and 94% (March 2026) without publishing the method behind either figure.
Caveat: The figures are the forecaster's own marketing claims. Because customers design to the forecast, accuracy measured against what reached shops would partly measure the forecast's own influence.
Source: WGSN and Coloro reveal Colour of the Year 2027, Luminous Blue, and S/S 27 Key Colours; WGSN and Coloro announce the Colour of the Year for 2028
Colourwise analysisModerate evidence
Paint makers in the dataset announce three to four months before the year their colour is for, while WGSN announces about twenty-one months ahead.
Based on: Computed from the announcement dates recorded in Colourwise's trends dataset (month of announcement to January of the target year).
Caveat: Only announcements with a verified date are counted, so each authority's figure rests on a handful of years.
Source: WGSN and Coloro reveal Colour of the Year 2027, Luminous Blue, and S/S 27 Key Colours; WGSN and Coloro announce the Colour of the Year for 2028; AkzoNobel's Color of the Year 2025 radiates True Joy
Reviewed 29 September 2026. Colourwise summarises its sources in its own words and does not reproduce standards text or proprietary colour data. Spotted an error? Tell us.