Pantone 2015 Color of the Year

It's not immediately apparent why Pantone would choose Marsala as Color-of-the-Year for 2015. It fits well with a Fall color palette, but I'm not sure I would want to wear it to a Spring soireé. Yet, when placed against the other color choices for Spring, Marsala offers a nice counterpoint to the usual pastel spectrum. 

With clay companies placing more attention on out-of-the-package colors, we are enjoying a period where creativity becomes easier because we are spending less time mixing our own clay colors. The Sculpey Soufflé palette is a good example of ready-to-use color. 

There will always be die hard artists who are known for their signature color lines. Those of us who wing it, are lucky to have color trends available to guide us in mixing fashion forward palettes. And, as manufacturers continue to develop more and better clay colors, we have it pretty good these days.

Do color trends influence your designs? Where do you get your color inspiration? If you sell your artwork, do customers ever ask for colors that are part of the Pantone seasonal palette or other fashion color trends?