Hello again! Today is the exciting day that we get to announce the winners of the Betabrand Argyle Sock Design Contest!

First of all, we want to thank Betabrand for allowing COLOURlovers to design the next product on their website. As I am sure you know by now, Betabrand has some pretty awesome clothes to choose from. The question to yourself won't be whether to buy, but instead, which color or pattern should you pick.

As you know, Betabrand chose 9 finalists and for the past week we have left it up to you guys to vote for your favorite design. Now comes the time when we announce  which designs had the most votes. First, let's refresh you all on the prizes for the winners:

The Prizes:

The Betabrand design team will select three winners, who'll receive the following:

• $100 Gift Card to Betabrand
• Recognition on the Betabrand website (photos/video/optional) & COLOURlover username printed on the sock packaging
• Five Three Packs of the COLOURlover socks bundles for free

So now, let's get down to business and announce the brand new COLOURlovers sock collection!

Congrats to Magg, Michaelann3, Faith4faith! Thanks to everyone who entered and voted in this contest. We hope to have Betabrand here again soon as you COLOURlovers can help them create something else just as awesome!

We are back with an update on the Betabrand Sock Design contest we have been running on our blog for the past week. Submissions are officially closed for the contest, and it is time to get your vote on and help us pick the winning designs.

Betabrand is one of those really cool clothing companies that is sure to keep the men dapper and the women trendy at all times. Their latest release is a cool pair of shorts with a black & white design (with a hint of turquoise) that I think is pretty awesome. And in case you haven't heard this enough, COLOURlovers even has a collection of our own on the Betabrand website.

So let's get down to business. Submissions are now closed for the Betabrand contest. Thank you to everyone who has entered and voted!

Out the top 30 most-loved palettes Betabrand chose 9 design finalists and from there 3 will triumph as winners. The three winners will be bundled into a 3-pack and sold on the Betabrand website.

Voting is incredibly easy. All you have to do is head over to the Betabrand Contest Page and click to vote. You can only choose 1 to vote for, so make sure your choose your favorite. And to make things even more fun, 5 lucky voters will be randomly selected to win a free 3-pack of socks as well!

Good luck to all and happy voting! We will be back on Monday to announce the winners!

Ready to put your color-matching talents to good use? Betabrand is offering you a chance to design their next set of socks. They have created the argyle design, and you get the chance to color the coolest sock you can and possibly have YOUR creation sold by Betabrand. How cool is that?

Betabrand is an online-only clothing company based in San Francisco that produces unique designs in limited-edition batches every week. They make tons of hip clothes for both men and women. And look, there is even a batch of COLOURlovers pieces including 2 flannel shirts (here and here) and some cool sock designs created by COLOURlovers.

The Prizes:

The Betabrand design team will select three winners, who'll receive the following:

• $100 Gift Card to Betabrand
• Recognition on the Betabrand website (photos/video/optional) & COLOURlover username printed on the sock packaging
• Five Three Packs of the COLOURlover socks bundles for free

How It Works:

Create an entry: Get creative and make a palette to design this argyle sock however you choose. You may create up to 3 submissions.

Once you have created the coolest palette, time to get votes. Share your entry with your friends and try your best to get lots of love on your sock. The 30 most-loved submissions with be considered for the top 9 finalist spots. Check back on Tuesday April 24, to see the top 9 finalists and to vote for you the one you want to win.

Once you have created your entry, check out the designs other people are creating and vote for your favorite. Good luck and happy coloring!

As individuals, we change our colors often. We reflect our inner palettes in what we wear, what we buy, where we cast our gaze. We have the freedom to engage unlimited combinations whenever we see fit.

But what about the colors of the websites we visit daily? Do websites shift in these same ways, or even at this rate? Over the course of a year we change our color preferences untold times, but looking at how websites evolve over a similar time period indicates something quite different.

I recently examined a representative sample of websites that have gone through a significant redesign in the last year to analyze just how much, if at all, these websites changed in terms of their inner color palettes. These few examples represent a trend I noticed - that some websites have gone through massive shifts in layout, usability, and general structure. In comparing their palettes, however, you don't see such shifting.

In the example of target.com below, you can see that there has been an obvious overhaul of structure, reorganizing the site completely. While there is a subtle increase in a practical implementation of color 'coding' (notably pink to indicate a 'spring' item and brighter link colors), the base of the palette remains the same. This shows that Target knows the importance of evolving functionality (and product) independent of base branding colors.

Another great example of a structural overhaul is bankofamerica.com. Here you can see they've moved to a centered layout and are using a few brighter blues for specific calls to action, but again, the remainder of the palette remains unchanged.

Another website I took a look at was twitter.com, which went through somewhat of a transformation last year. Save for a button color change (for the better) the base of their palette and branding remains the same.

Of particular interest this past year were the transformations undertaken on dennys.com. Around July last year they went with an overhaul not just of structure but of color as well. I don’t think the color portion of the overhaul was that successful, as a look around six months later shows they've reversed their direction. They've gone closer to what they had previous to the saturated yellow look, dialing back to a more traditional food-friendly palette of light tans/browns and creamy whites. Did Denny’s find out how much is too much? Was bright yellow too much of a stretch from what is traditionally a red-dominated industry?

In the case of our recent Purple.us redesign, you can see that we’ve maintained the base of the palette, only adding a select aqua to draw emphasis to the site’s informational hierarchy. Again, you can see how important the core of a palette is to the site’s overall presentation.

It is important to understand that while sites adapt and alter in various ways and degrees, there are some decisions that must be absolutely correct in early stages of development, namely color. Color delineates brand. Color can define a site. Color resonates in the mind of the user, whether they notice or not. Color is vital. If a website requires modifications, initial color choice and primary concepts must be considered just as vital.

Color-blocking has become all the rage in fashion these days. As far as handbags go, designers are following suit by offering their most popular designs in a variety of hit colors of the season. These choices allow you to spruce up any look, and add that pop of color in any of your favorite outfits.

These bags are not the only ones to fall in line with this new trend, no matter the price point, the designer or the look you want, you will find a variety of colors popping up in your favorite bag. With spring just around the corner, this is a great piece to lighten up your winter wardrobe.

Source: Balenciaga

Wallpaper of today is definitely not what it used to be with the installation process and the choice of patterns or images available. Ghastly florals and patterns of the past are replaced by reinvented, contemporary florals, patterns and palettes of the present.

This article is presented by InkShuffle.com offering you beautiful Easy Off Wallpaper – perfect for renters. Millions of designs in categories like vintage, cityscapes, and room openers.

We recently published a post about wall stenciling, also a booming trend and a more budget-worthy route than wallpapering, but could also be more work, depending on what you chose to paint. Wallpapering can also almost ensure a very clean, accurate and even more elaborate finished wall as well. At the end of the day, both have their pros and cons like anything else, it's just a matter of budget and preference.

source

I'm falling fast in love with Kreme wallpaper patterns. Very Moroccan-inspired design work with fabulous palettes. The example above is one of their more minimalist designs called, Painted Gate.

"Painted finishes, although great in some spaces, don't equate to the luxury and opulence a few rolls of wallpaper can provide." - Cadee Wilder of Kreme

Sourced from slideshow in Kreme Wallpaper California Collection 2012

Contemporary wallpapers are sometimes so graphically reinforced with such dramatic design work. This type of pattern design is so intricate that paint just couldn't replicate (or could, but with a lot of effort).

Poster design is a really fun, inexpensive and unique way to explore your creative side. From the 1,000's of fonts, variety of poster sizes, and layouts, sometimes, it's difficult to know where to start!

Once you master your design techniques visit Next Day Flyers for fast poster printing at great prices.

Today we are interviewing Jessica Sprague, design guru and owner of JessicaSprague.com. In February, Jessica is heading off a four week Poster Design course. She is also giving away not one, but TWO seats to this really awesome class! I couldn't be more excited about the class after taking Jessica's Subway Art class. I'm a busy mom, so I don't have a whole lot of time to join in a live class, which is why I love Jessica's classes- they are self-paced and available forever!

Follow Jessica: Twitter & Facebook

Can you tell us about yourself, how long have you been designing? Teaching? Do you have a job outside of JS.com?

In my former life I was a web & user interface designer for a software company, so I've been designing in some form or another for about 14 years. I started teaching digital scrapbooking, Photoshop, and graphic design in 2007 when I opened  JessicaSprague.com. Since then it is my full-time job, and I love it!

What three (or less) singular colors do you most identify with, why?

My favorite color is green - I love it in almost all of its shades from lime to olive. It's the color of growth and regeneration, of calm energy, of prosperity, learning, balance, and harmony.

If you had to describe yourself [currently] as a five color palette, what colors would they be? Could you provide me with HEX codes so I can create a JS palette for you? :)

I feel like I am a blue, two greens, and a red, coupled with a dark grey. Hex: aed835, d9ea65, 81c9c0, a90c19, a90c19

The greens I've already described. The blue is an ocean representing responsibility, stability, trustworthiness. The red represents fire and emotion, and the dark grey brings some gravity, but also represents the dark that balances the lighter, fresher colors.

If you could be a shape, what shape would you be? (i.e. a polygon = triangle, hexagon etc...)

I would be a 5-pointed star. :)

For those of you following Leatrice Eisemen's training schedule, her 4-Day Color Training Program is off to a start this very morning in Burbank, CA. LindaHolt and ModernMuse (aka Michelle Stroescu), the two COLOURlovers who won full and half scholarship for the class back in November are excitedly enjoying their first day of learning and meeting Leatrice.

To tide you all over until we get to do a followup with both Linda and Michelle about the class experience, Leatrice kindly took the time to answer the intriguing questions each winner had asked at the time of receiving the announcement that they had won.

Q & A From LindaHolt

Linda: I would love to know what the process is and what goes into choosing the Color of The Year? 

Leatrice: I literally travel the world looking for clues.  If I see a color that I think is ascending in importance, I make special note of it and then look for evidence in it gaining momentum.  Fashion is always a good indicator, but it is not the only design area that must be examined.  There are so much creative design areas that must be considered including graphics, the world of art, product design, home furnishings and so on .  Another very important part of the choice is tapping into the “zeitgeist ‘ of the world around us and the emotional message that the color imparts.  For example, with the that big gray elephant  (the economy) still looming large and the concern that is being felt internationally, we would not want to choose a color that could be a “downer’.  Instead we listen to people’s aspirations and try to give them a color that, at least symbolically, satisfies and encourages their needs and hopes.

Erin Loechner is a writer, stylist and designer. She is a quirky girl with lots of style and a great swagger about her. Everything she publishes on her site, Design For Mankind, pushes the envelope just enough to keep you interested and excited about trends and styles. She has graced the pages of many magazines all the while keeping up with trends and colors on her HGTV.com segment.

First up, why don't you tell the community a bit about who you are, what you do, how long you have been doing it, and your background. 

I'm Erin Loechner, a 28-year-old freelance design writer and blogger (DesignForMankind.com). I dabble into styling, consulting and rearranging the furniture of any willing party! I'm also an online personality for HGTV.com.

We bring you a great interview with Jason Allen, of Haft2.com, an intriguing firm that focuses on, yeah, you guessed it, color! The focal point today is to showcase their 2012 Haft2COLOUR Calendar Project, and absolutely amazing piece of quality!

I was highly impressed with the presentation of the calendar. It was delivered in a nice silver tin with a branded paper wrap and a wonderful opening letter about the project and the Haft2 mission - I felt like I had just received a very nice gift!

Haft2 is giving away three calendars to some lucky winners on a fun challenge (see bottom of post). I would like to add that I just so happened to come across this project originally from the comments on our previous post about 2012 Calendar Print Trends. I just had to know more about it, see the real deal and get to know what Haft2 and Jason were all about. I'm sure glad I did.