Enhancing Color by Light with Rodrigo Fernandez

Part of learning about color is understanding it's many facets and cultural meanings. Laura Tofts passionately shares her perspective on color from a southern African point of view, describing Zimbabwe's color symbolism across pattern, natural pigments and minerals. Her goal is to bring global color conversations to Africa and spread its traditions with the world. 

Born 47 years ago in Zimbabwe to British immigrants, Laura grew up in the Capital City Harare and completed her High School education there.  In 1996, after completing Tertiary studies in Linguistics and Tourism, Laura moved to Brighton, Sussex, UK and gained experience in various Restaurants and Hotels before landing a position at the American Express Head Office in the European Corporate Travel Department. 

The Call of Africa was too much, and Laura returned to Zimbabwe in early 2000 and joined Avis Car Hire as The National Sales “Lady” .... Until political events in the country saw the rapid collapse of the tourism industry and a very depressed environment. At that point Laura decided it was time for a change and whilst working as a restaurant manager in a 5-star Restaurant in Harare, studied Accounting by night. Once qualified, Laura took up a role as Bookkeeper in a Paint Shop downtown ... and that’s when the Eureka moment happened, and the passion was ignited. 

The following year Laura opened her first Paint Wholesale Warehouse in the Light Industry Area, where she is still based today... 23 years later! Needless to say, Laura Tofts has extensive experience and deep knowledge about coatings and colour design. She is the only NCS qualified colour trainer in Zimbabwe, training architects, interior designers and anyone with an interest in colour. During the last 13 years, she has extended her skillset by delving deeply into specialist finishes, such as cement, texture, wallpaper, and anything else that adds dimensions to a wall. She has earned Certification from The Institute of Concrete of South Africa, specialising in cement for construction. Laura owns The Showroom (recently re-branded from Artisan), a surface design company that supplies top-quality products and creates unique finishes for residential and commercial projects. The Showroom is Zimbabwe’s main distributor of Medal Paints, Cemcrete, Earthcote, Jaxoleum and Wallpaper Inn, Eijffinger, ORAC, among others. 

Laura’s Instagram Page best summarises it all “Africa forever in my Soul, Colour all around me”. 

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This is a conversation every designer should be listening to as Jessica Bantom and I address the elephant in the room, designing inclusively for a more equitable world in which culture, identity and humanity is honoured. But how may you start that conversation at work or with your client? Jessica speaks from her own experience and research when she says, listen and just ask the questions to that person that indeed is so different from you.  What role does color play in honouring identity?

Jessica Bantom is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) practitioner and workplace strategist whose mission is to enable individuals to take immediate actions that create meaningful outcomes for historically excluded people. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Marymount University, Bantom is a skilled management consultant with over 20 years of experience, a compelling speaker, and a certified facilitator and coach with a passion for helping people and organizations activate the values of DEIB to become more culturally competent and thrive in our increasingly connected global economy. Bantom is also active in the interior design industry as an interior design and color consultant and as an engaged advocate committed to promoting DEIB in the industry and in practice. You can learn more about Jessica and her book, Design for Identity: How to Design Authentically for a Diverse World, at JessicaBantom.com.

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How does our past influence the perception we have of our world today? Where does color stand in our daily perception of things and more importantly, how do we select the correct colors that truly make us feel good? Andreea Hartea will explain how we perceive color and how to select the right color for ourselves and our clients. 

Andreea Hartea was born in Romania and currently lives and works in Italy where in early 2020, she established RAH Colour Consulting Studio collaborating with architecture firms, interior designers, and international companies. She studied Visual Arts at NABA and completed a two-year program in Dynamic Hypnosis and Analogical Psychology at the CID_CNV Institute in Milan. To deepen her expertise, she pursued additional courses on color by "Max Luscher," attended seminars on meditative and hypnotic practices, while she researched topics like neuromarketing and neuroeconomics.

Her research primarily draws inspiration from psychology and consciousness, focusing on the mechanisms of unconscious and emotional perception. Her fascination with the human experience fuels her exploration of the inner universe as a means to comprehend our surroundings. 

She derives great satisfaction from assisting individuals in their daily lives and uncovering the underlying reasons behind their experiences using the power of color. 

Her primary objective is to educate people on approaching color from a more intimate, authentic, and conscious standpoint, acknowledging that color affects each individual in a very unique manner. Currently, she is devoted to promote the concept "subjectivity of color” as she has been privileged to deliver lectures to prominent companies and international platforms such as Edison, PPG, Archiproducts, and TedxRoma.

Having moved from theory to practical application, she developed the RAH Colours test, which aids professionals closely engaged with end clients in addressing the challenging question: "What color should we choose?" Whether it involves materials, products, or surfaces, this question invariably arises in interior design and often proves a point of frustration for both professionals and clients alike.

She provides guidance on implementing this methodology, and currently works on creating a platform that will provide professionals with their own personal color consultant. 

Moreover, she collaborates with studios and boutique agencies specializing in brand identities, particularly for small-scale brands.

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What is happening in the world of fashion, what colors prevail and where does Mexican fashion stand in all of this? Claudia Cándano talks about her passion for fashion and how she incorporates color at ELLE while she is key on taking fashion to a broader audience. 

With more than 14 years of experience in the world of fashion and lifestyle journalism, Claudia Cándano began her career at InStyle Mexico as Fashion Editor, where she headed one of the most successful and proactive fashion teams in the Mexican publishing industry. This experience and the consolidation of her own iconoclastic style led her to the direction of the fashion area of ELLE Mexico, and later, as Editor in Chief of ELLE Mexico, as well as ELLE Decoration and ELLE Man where she has given an important turn to the communication of the media. She has built a team recognized as one of the best in the Mexican publishing industry. Claudia has also excelled as a stylist for various celebrities and has given creative advice to designers for the creation of their collections. She studied Graphic Design at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and her unmistakable signature has been continuously perfected with renowned courses, such as Fashion Studies at Parsons The New School for Design, in New York. Art Direction for Fashion and Fashion Journalism, at The University of the Arts, London Central Saint Martins, in England.
Claudia led for 4 years the efforts of the successful project Mexico Diseña by ELLE, as project director and jury leader of the TV series with the same name. From her efforts in different platforms, she created Hablemos de moda #ELLEPodcast, the first fashion podcast in Mexico.

Thanks to her trajectory, she continues as Editor in Chief of ELLE, but also serves as Editorial Director of Grupo Expansión's soft news brands, being in charge of media such as Quién, ELLE, ELLE Decoration, ELLE Man, Aire and Life & Style. She is also in charge of the group's Branded Content area.

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How can you empower yourself with color and bring out the best of yourself? Lisa Maria Pippus explains how she helps her clients in selecting the right color palette to literally shine and portrait what they want to stand for. In this podcast episode you will learn about terms like color DNA, archetypes and personal branding. 

Lisa Maria Pippus, born Canadian, living in Berlin, studied fashion in Toronto and Milan, empowers design and style professionals to speed-read their clients’ aesthetic preferences through the "Aesthetic Compass Inventory". Understanding the four aesthetic direction and their sub-types allows them to add to their bottom line. By quickly understanding the language, color, line and shape choices that make their client's hearts sing. The Aesthetic preferences Compass also empower leaders to 'be fabulously on-brand'. This means to express their truth in a powerfully authentic way. To align their personality strengths to their wardrobe so they are seen, heard and valued. 

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Ruxandra Duru is the co-creator of Color Moods, a tool that shows you how to create color combinations but also how color influences your mood. In this conversation Ruxandra will testify to the power of color and the effects it has on our emotions, feelings and decisions. 

Ruxandra Duru researches, documents and experiments with color, beauty and mood.

She currently lives and works in NYC. A third culture person, she was born in Romania, spent her childhood in Morocco, moved during her teens to Canada and in her mid-twenties to Barcelona, Spain where she resided until 2021. 

She worked in the editorial graphic design field until 5 years ago, when she became increasingly interested in how colors, among others properties, can create different atmospheres and improve our well-being in a variety of contexts including graphic design, art and architecture. 

On top of her own practice, she also uses her color knowledge at Google NYC. 

Additionally, she makes music and takes photographs, spaces where mood is also an important element.

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How can color be used to make devices more accessible, user-friendly without compromising the design? How important are sensory experiences in today's world and what role do neuro-aesthetics play in the field of CMF.  Erika Kelter will share her thoughts on how we may use color, material and finish to create a more sensory experience in a tech world. 

As a Colors, Materials and Finishes Design Specialist Erika continues to foster her life-long passion for creating multisensory experiences through materials, colors, light, and texture, and understanding human sensory-emotional relations to objects and artifacts.

Before obtaining an MA from the University of Arts and Design in Helsinki, Finland, Erika had already gained a strong background in crafts by studying ceramics, glass blowing, goldsmithing techniques, and textile design. After graduation she worked in the arts and culture realm as an artist, teacher, and producer before her career as an CMF Designer.

Erika has over 15 years of experience working for brands such as Nokia, Xbox and Microsoft Surface, building quality, comfort, accessibility and sustainability through neuro-aesthetics and materiality.

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As many of you know, there is no color without light and this is why I interviewed Rodrigo Fernandez on how we can make color look sexy in a space, on a product and on any imaginable surface. We will also discuss the highlights of Milan Design Week's Euroluce and what color and light innovation was presented. Listen into our conversation to learn more about the deep relationship between color and lighting. 

Industrial Designer by ITESM Campus Ciudad de México, Rodrigo Fernandez Barajas has more than 15 years of experience offering lighting advice and consultancy to luxury hotels in Mexico and Central America. He is also a professor at CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, as well as co-founder and director of Diez Company, a benchmark project in avant-garde lighting design. A promoter of a lighting culture, Rodrigo Fernández is the creator of The Light Report, an integral communication concept focused on the exciting world of light. He is also the author of Maison Diez Company, the largest lighting exhibition held in Mexico since 2018. He is also a speaker and promoter of a better lighting culture and a consultant in high-end lighting manufacturing.

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How is designing color for animation and cinematics different than for physical products and spaces? Ilya will bring us along his journey in the world of games and animation as he explains how he applies storytelling through color in cinematic scenes.  How do you create the unexpected through color while creating the right atmosphere for a scene? How do you use color to evoke emotion? 

Ilya Viryachev is an artist born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, who has spent his formative years in Vancouver, Canada and now living in Los Angeles, California.

After having graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver, Ilya worked as an animator on multiple TV shows and later transitioned into the Concept Art field. After working as an Art Director in the animation industry for a number of years, Ilya’s latest journey took him to Blizzard Entertainment to lead a team of Visual Development artists to create new cinematics. While that keeps him busy during the day, he spends most of his free time on traditional painting, podcast, travel, murals, and being involved in the local art community.

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Known for her colourful designs, Serena Confalonieri explains what inspires her and the important role that color plays in creating community, safety and change in neighbourhoods. Serena loves to break taboos in the world of design as she talks about controversial topics in our society. 

Milan-based designer and art director Serena Confalonieri works in the field of product, interior, graphic, and textile design, collaborating with companies and artisans of excellence both in Italy and abroad. Her strongly distinctive style is built around a graphic, colorful, and emotional vision, mixed with decorative hyperboles and geometric shapes. Unexpected subjects, chromatic and material combinations, together with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic inspirations, give life to projects where design is given an ironic twist and, vice versa, playfulness is at the root of the project.

Each project starts from an accurate research, which investigates the meaning and history of all elements involved while giving them a personal and fresh new interpretation. In particular, in-depth researches on surfaces are very crucial, in order to obtain impeccable results and a strong consistency with patterns, decorations and colors.
After graduating in Interior Design at Politecnico di Milano, Serena Confalonieri spent some time abroad, first in Barcelona and then in Berlin, where she collaborated with interior and graphic design studios. Over the first few years of her career, she also worked with several studios in Milan, plus with the Politecnico Faculty of Interior Design.
In 2013 she made her debut at Milan Design Week with a selection of products born from the collaboration with companies such as cc-tapis, Nodus, and Wall & Decò. Ever since then, she has been working for leading design and furniture companies including: Abate Zanetti, Altreforme, Archiproducts, Arzberg, Azimut Yachts, Carpet Edition, cc-tapis, Coin Casa Design, Comune di Milano, Crate & Barrel USA, .ex- novo, Fondazione Cologni, Gur, Holland & Sherry USA, Houtique, Karpeta, L'Opificio, Maliparmi, Mason Editions, Medulum, Mohebban, My Home Collection, Myyour, Nodus, Porro, Portego, Potocco, Saba Italia, Sambonet, Swatch, Texturae, Vetrofuso, Wall & Decò. 
She has been the art director of design brand and realized many site specific set-ups and installations on behalf of the Municipality of Milan, Archiproducts, Marmomac Fair, and the San Siro Milan Hippodrome on the occasion of the "Leonardo Horse Project".  
Alongside important institutions such as Triennale Milano, Fondazione Cologni, Michelangelo Foundation, Coin Casa and Elle Decor, Mexico Design Week, she took part in many projects  characterized by the aim of guiding small and extraordinary artisanal realities towards more contemporary designs and products, in order to save and bring to light a know-how, otherwise at risk of extinction.
Serena has been selected for several design residencies and workshops both in Italy and abroad (USA, Mexico, Portugal). Her projects have been featured in many important publications and trade magazines (The New York Times, Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 ore, Wallpaper, Interni, Ottagono, L'Officiel, Elle Decor ...); also, she has received prestigious awards including two Honorable Mentions at the Young & Design Awards and the German Design Awards. Her works have been exhibited in well-respected design addresses such as the Milan Triennale and the Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

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