Color Conversations

LHC: Hi Kate, it's Leslie Harrington calling.  How are you today?

Kate: Good thanks.  How are you?

LHC: Good.  I wanted to start by asking you if you could just introduce yourself to our audience and let us know what it is that you do and what's interesting you these days.

Kate: I'm Kate Smith.  I'm a color consultant, also a member of the Color Marketing Group and currently in addition to working with corporate clients I've started a website called Sensational Color.  

LHC: Oh that sounds so interesting. Sensational Color isn't something new to me it may be new to some of the other people out there, but I am just in love with what you are doing so that was one of the reasons I wanted to touch base and find out more about Sensational Color. Can you tell me a little bit about how you got started?

Kate: Sure but first of all thank you for that nice compliment Leslie.  I really appreciate that especially coming from someone that has the type of knowledge you have about color but to explain why I started Sensational Color let me take it up to sort of a 30,000 foot view first and then really quickly drop back down to exactly what we are doing today.

What I saw was a shift that was taking between business and consumer.  Rather than being passive individuals have become much more actively engaged in the process of buying products and services and along with that there came a much greater expectation of choice.

And as businesses have responded where In the past companies simply asked people to watch and listen, then passively consume by selecting from a limited number of options.  Today of course advances in technology have made it possible for companies to give consumers many, many more options in just about any color imaginable.

So the good news is that we now have more choices…the bad news is that we now have more choices…

LHC: Right

Kate: …and this is really a good news and bad news scenario that applies to both business and consumers.  So while most people could see the upside what I saw was that what comes along with more choice is also the burden of having to make those choices wisely.

So let me bring this down a bit closer to earth and what that means for businesses…

As you know surveys show that consumers place a high level of importance on the color of a product and that in fact color is often a key factor in their purchasing decisions.  In addition studies have shown that customers are likely to decide where they will purchase a product based on being able to get it in a particular color they want so with just those couple of examples and as you know there are many more…I think just about anyone can begin to understand why getting color right is serious business with potentially far-reaching implications.

And in fact this is exactly why companies seek out people like you and I that can share our expertise to help them understand color and that goes beyond just color trends.  They want to understand the intrinsic messages and meanings associated with color, the cultural significance, color directions but what I think most importantly they are looking for is how to apply that information specifically to their business.

LHC: Yes, I know that and I totally agree.  Some of the studies that you are referring to say that actually 60% of that decision…the purchase intent decision…is actually based on the colors.  So I mean that is pretty significant and when you think that a lot of companies at one point in time were basing color decisions sort of on the like or dislike, or personal preference of maybe the CEO or the CEO's wife it's hard to believe that something that is so key to a product was not given the same attention that so many other product attributes are.

Kate: You know I absolutely agree.  It does seem like when you think of it in those terms it does seem funny but it just came out of a lack of knowledge of how important it was.  Luckily people are discovering and companies are discovering more and more the impact and the power of color.  Which gets me back to your original question which is why I launched the website…

In fact I've had many people ask me why when companies are willing to pay me nicely to share the information I would put it out on the web for anyone to access and really the short answer is…because the great value that we bring as experts or consultants is not just in the information itself but the knowledge of how to specifically apply that information. I don't think that it will replace their need for our expertise and if anything it may even make them see more clearly why they need our help.

LHC: I think so.  Now do one of the things it that I think that gets confusing for companies is that the information that is out there on the web or maybe in books is full of what I call folkloric or even to some degree rhetoric.  So for instance it say that red makes you eat more but for the most part we just take that as a truth but do we really know that red makes you eat more or is there actually scientific proof.  So one of the questions I have for you is how do you find your information and do you have some secret source?

Kate: Yes [laughing] I sort of do and I think Leslie obviously as you recognize having recently completed your PhD that maybe better than most the amount of study that goes into being able to understand and use color effectively.

My goal in launching Sensational Color was certainly to share good information and not the folklore and point to examples of how color is being used so that business people and individuals can quench what seems to be an ever growing thirst for color knowledge and in fact sharing all of that… why I started Sensational Color is that there is a strong value in getting many points of view heard and that is why my secret source for the information is people like you and my other color colleagues who have contributed their expertise in the way of articles and editorials and part of my strategy is to continue to seek out the "best of the best".

LHC: So you're tapping into the expert source for knowledge that exist not sort of relying on just published documentation.

Kate: No, I fact and I definitely think there is too much information for any single person to know everything there is to know about every aspect of color and so I am looking people that have…we all have our areas of expertise to bring that knowledge forward.

LHC: Now one of the things I know we had talked about offline that you are introducing is teleseminars.  Can you talk a little bit more about what exactly your Teleseminar series is about and who would be interested?

Kate: Sure.  Well initially what I was able to offer our fellow color experts was limited to sharing information that could be published in written form but in April we are launching an "Access to Experts" Teleseminar series and how that will work is it will be an interview.

I'll be interviewing many individuals about their area of [color] expertise.  I'll be doing it over the telephone and I'll offer a call in line so that anyone that would like to join us live on the call can call in and listen in.  The kind of interesting thing that I've added to this is that a person registers, when they register for the call to get the call in number they will be able to go online and ask what I like to call "their most burning question" for that particular guest.

Then when I interview or when I review all of the questions and put together a list that I'll be asking the expert to it will help me to make sure that I'm asking the questions that are on the minds of our audience.

So I'll have the call recorded and will make it available for replay or download from the site for someone that isn't able to get on during the live call.

LHC: That's great.  Now are you targeting teleseminars at consumers or are you doing sort of different levels so that you would have more of the expert level for say peer-to-peer type of conversations as well.

Kate: Well we are really going to cover both because both of those are our target audiences so we'll be covering aspects of color that will be of interest to the business community, business people and at that level but we'll also cover areas of color that will be of interest to individuals as well.  Which kind of reminds me that I wanted to mention why I decided to put information on Sensational Color for consumers as well as the professional audience.

As I shared earlier when you have more options you also have more choices and I want to provide individuals as well with solid, easy to access information that would allow them to have the skills and knowledge to make color decisions not just that they can live with but ones that reflect who that they are and how they want to feel.

So ultimately goal is to provide people with tools and information to acquire or expand their own as I call it "Color Know How" so that they can master those skills as they use color in all aspects of their life.  

LHC: I think that is a really great and important part of what you are doing because as companies move to become more customer-centric and understanding exactly what it is that their customer base is looking to know and understand about color you can actually help the dialogue between both the consumer and the company to understand how the company can sort of better give their customer the information they are looking for as well.

Kate: Yes, I hope so.  I hope that does become a big part of what the interaction directly with the consumers allows us to do.

LHC: So here's another question for you.  Can you give us some examples of topics you're going to be covering?

Kate: Certainly.  For the consumer audience I have several of the designers that will be speaking.  I have CJ Volk who founded Citron Paints is going to be speaking about her line of paints.

LHC: Yeah, she's great.

Kate: She is a lot of fun so I'm really looking forward to that.  Our very first Teleseminar that we are doing is scheduled for April 4th is going to be Ellen Kennon who founded Full Spectrum Paints and has had a lot of experience in the interior design community and again a lovely person.

LHC: Yes, I love her color palette.  It's great.

Kate: Yes, she has a fabulous way about her and the testimonials from her clients are unbelievable as well so both those two people I'm very excited about.

Of course Leatrice Eiseman is going to be speaking about More Alive With Color on April 11th and that's a special seminar for people that are…wanting an understanding of her system of the Colortimes.  And then what I am working on confirming right now are some of the more professional level calls that we are going to be doing and hopefully you'll be one of those Leslie.

LHC: I would love to participate.  That would be really great.

Well I think that pretty much covers it.  Is there anything else that I should have asked you that I didn't ask you?

Kate: Hmmm, not that I can think of at the moment.  Sensational Color will continue to grow and evolve as people like you and I and others in the color field can expand the information that is available to offer and as we have or see a need for and as our business and consumer audience seem to have interest in but I'm thrilled to be able share this with you today.

LHC: Well thanks.  One of the things that I think is so wonderful about what you're doing and what I'm doing and some other people is that we really have sort of a collaborative mentality.  We had talked about this before but for me and I think also for you we share this kind of a…instead of a competition and more of a friendship alliance and so I'm looking forward to helping you grow your business and I hope and know that you are looking to help me grow my business so I think that it is just really great that we can actually have these kind of conversations be open and there is a level of transparency so together we can grow the entire knowledge base for you know that consumer and businesses.  

Kate: Yeah, I think that is very much the attitude that I have taken about it and I'm glad that you and I and luckily several of our other colleagues feel very open to that sharing and building that type of a relationship.

LHC: Well thank you again for joining us.  Again, I've been talking with Kate Smith founder of Sensational Color and if you want more information you can look up www.sensationalcolor.com online.

Kate: Thanks Kate so much Leslie