How CMG Thinks About Color Direction Beyond a Single Year
A Conversation With Montaha Hidefi, Color Archaeologist™ & President, Color Marketing Group®
This article is drawn from a two-part conversation on the Coat It! Podcast, where PCI Chief Editor Courtney Bassett speaks with Montaha Hidefi, Color Archaeologist™ and President of Color Marketing Group.
Rather than focusing on individual shades or headline colors, the discussion explores how long-range color forecasting works, why CMG frames its outlook as “2027+” and how pigment suppliers, formulators and coatings manufacturers should interpret directional guidance.
What follows is a curated preview of that conversation. The full context, examples and deeper discussion unfold across both podcast episodes and Hidefi’s upcoming March feature in Paint & Coatings Industry Magazine.
PCI: For readers who may only know CMG through published palettes, how do you describe its role in color forecasting?
Montaha Hidefi: “Color Marketing Group is a not-for-profit association. We are pre-competitive and collaborative, and our role is really to look at color direction, not color authority. We don’t dictate. We propose.”
Listen for more: In the podcast, Hidefi explains how CMG’s collaborative structure shapes discussion and why disagreement is an essential part of the forecasting process.
PCI: CMG uses the designation “2027+” instead of naming a single year. Why is that important?
Hidefi: “Color doesn’t stop on December 31. The ‘plus’ acknowledges that color direction continues beyond a calendar year and that shifts take time to develop and to be implemented.”
Listen for more: Hidefi discusses how economic pressure and compressed timelines have changed how far ahead companies are able to plan.
PCI: Without discussing specific shades, how does CMG arrive at its Key Colors?
Hidefi: “We collect signals across culture, economics and social change, and then we debate them. The work happens through discussion, refinement and alignment across regions.”
Listen for more: The podcast expands on how global alignment emerges and where regional expression begins to diverge.
PCI: Forecasts are often misunderstood as directives. How should companies actually use them?
Hidefi: “A forecast is not a checklist. It’s a strategic tool. It should help companies ask better questions, not follow instructions.”
Listen for more: Hidefi elaborates on how treating forecasts as rules can limit innovation rather than support it.
PCI: Your background includes time spent in coatings and pigments. Does that experience still shape how you approach color today?
Hidefi: “Color doesn’t exist without material. Performance, durability and application all matter. That experience absolutely informs how I think about color direction.”
Listen for more: Hidefi reflects on how her technical background influences how CMG communicates with formulators and suppliers.
PCI: This discussion spans two podcast episodes. Why was it important to split the conversation?
Hidefi: “Some topics need space. We wanted to separate how forecasting works from what it means in practice for the industry.”
Listen for more: The second episode shifts toward practical implications for pigment suppliers and formulators.
Looking Ahead
Hidefi’s forthcoming March feature in Paint & Coatings Industry Magazine builds on this conversation without repeating it. The article explores how CMG’s long-range framework connects to pigment selection, portfolio planning and future-facing decision-making. Be on the lookout for this must-read feature. Subscribe to PCI for free here.
Listen to the full first episode here or on our dedicated podcast page:
Listen to the full second episode here or on our dedicated podcast page:
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