What makes a color Expert?

It seems like this question is being talked about a lot these days.  With a high demand for color consultations flooding the market place, who is stepping up and who decides who is qualified?  Benjamin Moore, a leader in the painting industry, has come up with a referral service for color consultants in the Washington DC market.  Their list of consultants doesn’t require a degree or certification.  It seems that people from differing backgrounds have risen up to meet the need. 

 We naturally go to Interior Designers when we think about color for the interior of our home.  What does an Interior Designer study?  If you look at the testing for NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualifications) Interior Designers need to be proficient in Programming, Schematic Design, Design Development, Contract Documents, Contract Administration, and Professional Practices.  Designers know a lot about legal and logistical components in regards to all phases of an interior space remodel.  It is an incredibly difficult job and I commend those who are good at what they do.  In order to be NCIDQ certified you have had to pass a test that encompasses color design in one component of their testing, Design Development.  Designers will vary in their comfort and knowledge about color.  Each Designer is different and has a different strength.

Artists, including faux and mural artists, are another likely group of people who you will see offering their color consulting services.  It is hard to qualify an artist and their color knowledge because we do not certify art the way we do other careers.  Artists and Designers who have studied at Colleges that are NASAD accredited (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) have taken a course in color theory regardless of their chosen major.  This means these students have taken a semester of color mixing, color relationships, color applications, and color elements in order to be able to understand the fundamentals of color.  This can create a foundation for the professional Color Designer.

You will find Decorators offering Color Consulting as well.  Decorators are people who have a knack for putting elements of design together.  Sometimes they have studied some where, and sometimes they are just going from a gift that they know they possess without official training behind it.  They usually have “an eye” for color.  There are fantastic decorators out there who have used their life experience to guide them to rewarding careers.

What is the difference between the Decorator and the Designer?  The Decorator utilized one component of what the NCIDQ requires of their Interior Designers, the Design Development phase.  A Designer goes to great lengths to be able to manage a project, coordinate vendors, comprehend building components, know legal/liability traps, determine the functional need of the client, understands space planning and furniture design.  There is much more to it than color!

What constitutes a color consultant?  There isn’t a test that certifies you that everyone recognizes yet.  But the International Association of Color Consultants – North America is one of the ways of learning about the human experience of color in our daily environments.  They focus on the Psychology of Color and Visual Ergonomics to help those Artists, Designers, Architects, and Decorators get more education and a certification for color. http://www.iacc-na.com

What should your choice be?  Choose someone who you feel will listen to your needs.  You and your family are the most important elements to your design.  It must function for you and help you to feel good in your home.  Find someone who makes you feel good about being exactly who you are, and you know you will love your color!

Happy color choosing!