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March 1, 2006
That New Scent in the Air? It’s your conscience - Part I
by Renée Labbé

New Year, New You

With the dawn of each new year, there is a tendency to look back on the year that was and reflect on its outcome. Was it positive or negative? Was it chaos or charisma? What lessons were learned, and what habits should be tossed like yesterday’s garbage?

We typically ask these questions in an attempt to redirect our individual lives. But a new trend is emerging, one in which these questions are being approached from a global perspective. If in the past 12 months you have checked out bamboo flooring, googled a corrupt politician, or attended a Live 8 concert, you may be part of a growing consumer shift.

Tired of the disastrous wake left by Mother Nature, wayward politicians, and no-fault corporations, some consumers are (quietly, individually) beginning a revolt for positive change. With more consumers joining daily, the movement grows faster and faster, from a gentle street hum to an all out blasting of horns. The message is clear: the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. It’s not OK to pretend that the actions of the individual do not affect the group. Enron taught us that. Hurricane Katrina taught us that. Change for all begins with the change of a few. We are all connected.

Would the new consumer please stand up?

Steven R. Covey, author of the 1989 bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, calls this connection interdependence. As consumers begin to recognize this, their consumption of goods & services is shifting accordingly.

Behold the Conscious Consumer. The new awareness, fear, and respect of our interdependence with each other and with our environments has led to a measurable new direction in consumer spending and consumer power. Considering a new car? Buy a hybrid. Picking up groceries on your way home? Choose organic. It’s election time? Vote or die.

Already, there are a handful of companies joining the revolution. Participant Productions, the company behind politically charged blockbusters like Syriana and North Country, believes strongly in using “the power of media to create great social change”. Oprah Winfrey, an obvious leader in advocating positive change, recently used her television show to successfully encourage viewers to write their congressmen and women and demand stronger laws against human trafficking. CompostModern, created by the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Industrial Designers Society of America, is a conference designed to educate and encourage designers to be leaders in developing socially responsible products.

At Voice of Color, we are honored to ring in 2006 with a design story that pays tribute to the balance of our collective lives and the environments between them. PRANA embodies this respect for our interdependence.

Prana, by design

The Sanskrit word “prana” literally means “before breath” and is considered the life force of all things. In theory, it suggests that all living things are connected and inter-reliant; a change in one element will be reflected across many.

The PRANA story is one of replenishment and spirit. It honors the balance between design elements by selecting products and accessories that seem to speak to each other. Like a melody, the form of one piece rolls into the next.
Designs featured in this story are fluid and organic in form, like the Mamma rocking chair by Patrick Messier of Editorial. They are also clean and uncomplicated, like the Gahan table from David Design. And they are also delicate and sensual, like the Pod lights by Maira Koutsoudakis. The overall affect is an environment that is inviting, rhythmic, and refreshing.

Prana, the palette

The PRANA color palette is created from two beautifully arranged harmonies: Pashmina and Horizon. Whitewashed and water-colored to instill calm and tranquility, the palette mimics the soothing effects of nature. Each harmony embodies a distinct sense of serenity, designed to replenish the peace that is too often damaged by our increasingly stressful world.

Replenishment is represented by the Horizon harmony, accompanied by the gentle sobriety of subdued greens in shades of Safari, Pine Cone and Sage. This palette embodies the energy of the natural environment, and stands as a monument of our love and respect for the ecology of our world. Spirit is represented by the Pashmina harmony. Tender pink and lilac tones - such as Keepsake Rose, Lovebird and Santorina Blooms – denote caring, sensitivity, and even fragility. This palette symbolizes the heart and the compassion we have for our social world. It reminds us that we are all preciously and inextricably linked.

Posted by: Renée Labbé www.creativesearchunit.com

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