Colours Of Protest

Multi-discipline research agency FranklinTill identifies the key colour trends that are influencing design today

- FranklinTill

An empowering year of protest has seen rebellion in its many forms influence art and design, from fashion and product through to services and the way in which we consume. It’s infiltrated the likes of graphic design and communications, from substrates and mediums to the use of color, and none more so than climate activism.

The discourse around climate change is shifting. Today’s youth are rising up, declaring a state of emergency and seeding an infectious sense of agency at a time of inaction. It is schoolchildren who are pushing the climate crisis to the top of the international agenda, humbling and inspiring audiences of all generations to demand action. And while the devastating effects of our current models of consumption have been known for some time, it is Greta Thunberg’s hand-scribed ‘Skolstrejk För Klimatet’, her #fridaysforfuture and heroic Atlantic crossings to the United Nations headquarters that are inspiring young people across the world to fight for a future at all. With the weight of the planet seemingly on their shoulders, Gen Zers (and Alphas) are indeed angry, but also hopeful and resilient in their crusade for change.

This renewed activist vision is a far cry from hard-edged punk rebellions. It’s less about apportioning blame and instead about human potential, community strength and local stories bringing people together to learn and create. Never before has messaging found such rhythm, brought about by the lo-fi creation of signage and symbols shared across social media.