To the
friends and colleagues in the field of color science,
design, and appearance:
Little can
be said on my part to either relieve or identify a new
mitigation plan from the current downturn in the economy and
its impact on our personal and professional lives. The
automobile industry, especially the Detroit area is facing
perhaps its greatest challenge to survive. The poor economy
is affecting many businesses and sectors, but our
trepidation begins closer to home as we try to react to
these conditions and hope that consumer confidence, banks,
and other areas come around and offer some better news.
True enough,
there continues to be much activity that is color-related.
Pending legislations surrounding the heat build up of cars
and its relation to color and pigments has opened up the
possibility of using color as a potential tool to positively
impact the environment. New ways of presenting color
"virtually" on projection screens have drawn praise from the
field and the often discussed use of colorants in the nano
field continue to be assessed. The auto show again showcased
the importance of using color to marry the aesthetics of car
shapes to psychological impressions of hue and chroma. And
anyone attending last year’s RETEC conference is fully aware
of the remaining challenges and possibilities the future
holds.
This is what
the scenario in 2009 looks like. This, being the 54th
year since the founding of the Detroit Colour Council may be
its most challenging. Our organization will continue to
remain active in meeting some of the mastering issues
discussed last year in meetings and symposia. A cross
company core team has met several times to look towards ways
of standardizing and harmonizing ways of producing and
commercializing interior colors. This will also be the topic
of our most popular symposium that will be held in
September.
In contrast
to last year, we will go back once more to a four time per
year meeting format. Besides the September symposium, the
Colour Council will offer a March program centered on the
theme of innovation, in this case it will be the pearlescent
effect pigment industry.
Because of
the continued presence of global stewardship in our daily
lives, the May meeting will cover green chemistry and how it
relates to color. In particular, there will be a speaker
from the furniture industry to offer perspective on
environmentally friendly opportunities in that area.
In November,
we will again offer a program with a focus on color styling
and design in the automotive world. Traditionally, the
meeting has been very popular with those seeking to
understand more abstract conceptual ideas and bringing these
to reality on cars. With concerns about the industry scaling
back at least temporarily in this arena, the program will be
interesting to show what can be used to stimulate innovation
with potentially fewer tools.
Another
success is the two day training course offered by the DCC
and taught by its members, which will be held at EMU in
Livonia:
Matching and
Control of Metallic and Pearl Colors April 28 – 29, 2009
Visit
www.detroitcc.org for a complete list of educational
events coming in 2009.
A special
note of thanks goes out to the DCC Board of Directors and
Officers for their dedication, zeal, and professionalism. I
especially would like to recognize William Longley for all
that he has brought to the DCC. His counsel and
professionalism is valued by all the Officers, Board
Members, and general membership. It was with pleasure that
the Detroit Colour Council recognized Bill for his exemplary
work and awarded him the President’s Award in 2008.
I look
forward to seeing you at our conferences and meetings in
2009. As always, your feedback on our programs and as well
as anything regarding the DCC is welcomed and valued by our
Officers, Board of Directors, and by me personally. Without
your generous support and involvement in our events, the DCC
would have no reason to carry out its mission of education
and promotion of color science.
With best
regards,
Zenon Paul
Czornij
BASF
Corporation
President,
Detroit Colour Council 2009
