10 Ways To Use Pantone's "Greenery" In Your Store

Pantone unveiled it's 2017 Color of the Year last week, setting up "Greenery" as the model color next year for designers and artists in the fashion and retail industries.

Pantone is a widely recognized and respected "color authority" and regularly garners the attention of top tier journalistic platforms like the New York Times and Time magazine.

The Color of the Year announcement is always eagerly anticipated by those in the design industry, because it reflects expert research into current and future color trends. 

Even though Greenery does not appear to have been the most popular design color in 2016, according to this article, it is "quickly gaining traction for 2017 and crossing over into all areas of design."

Here are 10 suggestions on how to use Greenery in your business in 2017:

1. Blend with 2016 Colors

Last year, Pantone surprised many by announcing two colors: Rose Quartz and Serenity. The nice thing about Greenery is that it still works quite well with the 2016 colors. So if you set up design themes around these two colors in 2016, you shouldn't have a problem incorporating Greenery into your designs for 2017.

2. A Perfect Setup for Easter

This color is great for any spring-themed promotions, events or displays. Check out this handy article for 21 great spring marketing ideas. Once you've got your promotions or events planned out, you can simply use Greenery as your basic color theme.

3. Plan an Outside Event

You can generally get better attendance for store events that take place at an outside location, especially when the weather is good and your customers can can hang out with other people.

For instance, a store that sells model trains can think outside the box and set up a model train expo that takes place outside in the late spring or early summer. If you plan this in a park or local fairgrounds, then you typically have a much better chance of attracting a bigger crowd than if it was held in your store location.

You don't always have to plan these things alone. In fact, a lot of these events work best if you partner with other businesses. Once you get a plan in place Greenery is the perfect color to complement a late spring or early summer outdoor event.

4. Create A Video

You can follow Pantone's lead and create a montage of all sorts of different products using Greenery as your background or accents in the shot. Watch this video from Pantone for some ideas of props that you can use, or watch the videos below for even more ideas:

• Interior Design
• General Color Trends
• Complementary Colors

5. Create T-Shirts for an Event

Ever had a staff event where all the employees were required to wear the same T-shirts? A problem tends to arise when some employees decide they don't like the color of the shirts. This solves that problem! You know have ample justification for picking that color T-Shirt and sticking with it. Needing a source for those shirts? You can order them here.

6. Partner with a Local Artist

Do you have a blank wall in your store? A great way to make your retail space look great and help out a local artist is to display their work on your store walls. You can make this a joint venture arrangement or just leave money out of it altogether. It depends on how much value both of you receive from the arrangement. But if a local watercolor artist or photographer has work that fits into this Greenery theme it can be a win-win situation for you and the artist.

7. Make Personalized Shopping Bags

If you already print your logo or custom artwork on your shopping bags, consider doing a run with this Greenery color.  You can either flood coat the bag itself, or try something like a white kraft or plastic bag with this greenery print.

The Pantone Greenery color code is 15-0343. Your discerning clients will ask about the custom color and give you a chance to tell them about the current color trends. This leads right into the next point, which is...

8. Carry Merchandise in these Colors

This should be obvious. Everything from couches to sunglasses to apparel is available in this color, and the early reviews are looking good. Plus, if you use actual greenery (like plants) in your store, you can easily complement your product displays.

9. Do a Promotion Around the Greenery Color

Example: If you own a children's toy store, hide green Kermit frogs all around the store. If a kid can find 5 of them, their parents get 10% off or the child can keep one of the frogs. 

10. Use Complementary Colors

Pantone provides excellent examples of other color pallets that work well with Greenery. This is a great starting point for designers. If you use Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to design your own materials, add these complementary colors into your library for quick access. Spring colors are the dominant theme, but there are enough options to design creatives for all seasons.

Conclusion:

Knowing that Greenery is trending right now and will be in 2017 gives you a window into what is subconsciously pleasing for people to look at. It opens the door for you to be creative in how you design your marketing, events and store look for next year.