The Lifocolor Shades of Inspiration 2027 collection, developed under the motto “The Human Re:Set”, translates current social and aesthetic trends into 54 colors dedicated to plastic products. The color set has been prepared for four main application areas: home, sports and lifestyle, children’s products, and the beauty & care market. The manufacturer addresses the new range to brand owners and plastics processors, emphasizing both the functional and emotional impact of color in product design.
The “The Human Re:Set” concept reflects the growing need for structure, clarity and space for self-reflection amid accelerating digitalization and social change. Lifocolor points out that the collection is intended to encourage brands to experiment with expression, reinterpret tradition and use imagination as a counterbalance to overstimulation. The color scheme is designed as a tool to support design decisions that meet current user expectations while remaining consistent with brand character.
According to Diana Seidel, Team Lead Product Management & Marketing at Lifocolor, colors are increasingly acting as regulators of moods and emotions. “Colors are once again becoming markers of the rhythm of our emotions: they can stimulate or organize, uplift or calm, heal or inspire. In this way, tones emerge with a more or less rebellious, clear, warm or gentle character.”
Shifts in the European color space for 2027
The color trends incorporated into the Shades of Inspiration 2027 collection indicate clear shifts in the European color space. Lifocolor stresses that the coming period will be marked by a search for warmth, optimism and mental renewal, which is reflected in the structure of the entire palette.
The collection is dominated by warm, emotional tones. Yellow and orange shades are particularly prominent, symbolizing energy, joie de vivre and a stronger sense of agency. Reds and browns gain depth and maturity while remaining contemporary and grounding. Blue recedes into the background and appears in lighter, clearer and airier variants.
Green, which has often been associated with muted “recycling” tones, is transformed in this collection towards more vivid, regenerating shades. These are intended to symbolize both mental and ecological renewal. They are complemented by cool neutral tones and pastels that introduce subtle digital dynamics and give the palette a slightly futuristic character. As a result, the entire color spectrum is perceived as more balanced and grounded than in previous years, while offering a sense of security and design freedom.
Four key themes within Shades of Inspiration 2027
The 54 shades that make up the collection are grouped into four key themes derived directly from the “The Human Re:Set” idea. Each represents a distinct color world related to specific user needs and product application contexts.
Radiant Rebels is a set of bold, performative colors designed for stronger self-presentation, expressiveness and a sense of freedom. Dominant, saturated tones are intended to enable striking visual “statements” and give products a recognizable personality.
Structured Ease is based on clarity, order and reduction. Subtle tone-on-tone transitions and organizing colors respond to the need for inner calm, orientation and minimalism. This color world is also used in function-oriented products, where transparency and simplicity are essential elements of user communication.
Cultural Weave encompasses warm, earthy and pigment-rich colors that highlight origin, cultural exchange and authenticity. This set has the potential to tell stories related to tradition, materiality and global interconnections, which can be applied in products emphasizing heritage and a crafted character.
Velvet Tomorrow consists of soft pastels and light, “breathing” neutral tones. The palette is intended to express growing sensitivity, intimacy and self-care. The range spans from soothing, regenerating shades to variants with a light, romantic and almost fairytale-like mood, which can be particularly relevant in segments related to comfort and care.
Collection segmentation by consumer goods market
To facilitate direct use of color trends in the development of new plastic products, Lifocolor has once again divided the Shades of Inspiration 2027 collection into four lines corresponding to specific consumer goods market segments. For each of them, coherent, technically feasible color concepts for masterbatches for various polymers and applications have been prepared.
Shades of Living 2027 is a line dedicated to interiors, outdoor spaces and the home & garden segment. The colors are intended to support the design of furnishings, decorative elements and utility products that integrate harmoniously into indoor and outdoor environments.
Shades of Sports & Lifestyle 2027 includes dynamic colors designed for sports, leisure and lifestyle products. The set is intended to support the design of products that highlight energy, movement and an active lifestyle.
Shades of Childhood 2027 focuses on products and toys for children. The shades used combine creativity, a sense of security and the joy of discovery, which is important both from an aesthetic and educational perspective in the children’s segment.
Shades of Beauty & Care 2027 is a line intended for packaging of cosmetics and personal care products. The palette includes refined, sensual color worlds that are designed to underline the character of beauty & care brands and support the communication of values related to care, comfort and an individual approach to the user.
Mine Görgülü, Project & Marketing Manager at Lifocolor, defines the collection’s objectives as follows: “With Shades of Inspiration 2027, we want to inspire brand manufacturers and plastics processors in a way that is creative yet highly practical. Our goal is to enable color decisions that reflect the spirit of the times while fitting the brand, target group and application.”
Lifocolor Trendservice as support for designers and brands
Shades of Inspiration 2027 is part of the broader Lifocolor Trendservice offering. It is aimed at marketing, design and product management departments in companies operating in the plastics industry. The objective is to support the systematic use of color trends in product development.
As part of Trendservice, Lifocolor helps to identify relevant directions in color design at an early stage, then translate them into the needs of specific industries and brands, and jointly with customers develop implementable color concepts for masterbatches and compounds. This enables manufacturers of plastic products to integrate current color trends with the technological and functional requirements of their products, reducing the risk of unsuccessful aesthetic decisions and shortening time-to-market for new solutions.
