Design Duo Creates Vibrant Campaign for Taubmans' 2021 Color Forecast

On September 15, 2022, designers Leta Sobierajski and Wade Jeffree unveiled their art direction and graphic design project, Taubmans Chromatic Joy, for the paint brand Taubmans (PPG). The initiative, launched in 2021, aimed to present the year's color trends through a digitally physical approach, diverging from traditional displays like accent walls. Originally planned as a branding effort, it evolved into a campaign featuring a multi-layered logo and glyph system crafted as physical wall reliefs. These elements were hand-painted to emphasize the vibrancy and texture of Taubmans' 2021 palette, then assembled into large compositions photographed for a website header. The designers adopted a modular typographic strategy to explore endless color pairings. They also designed conceptual buildings inspired by architects Kunihiko Hayakawa and Kazuo Shinohara, integrating them with an eclectic color scheme derived from Taubmans' forecast. The project was part of Taubmans' digital annual report website, designed by Sons & Co., which included chromatic inspiration and interviews with creatives like Yinka Ilori, Camille Walala, and Adam Nathaniel Furman. The scope encompassed identity design, campaign design, artwork, and sculpture, with typeface design by Metis Foundry. The work responded to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact, as Taubmans shifted from an initial 2020 forecast to emphasize color's role in well-being for 2021, highlighting its human significance.