For many of us it has felt like the last few years have been static, so the speed with which the world is returning to normal can feel dissociative, giving new experiences, a slightly odd, out of body experience.

That feeling of otherness is a visual driver for one of this issue’s stories; Submerge where, like falling, being underwater is a marker for a completely different state. This story charts how our relationship with water is evolving and often contradictory; we seek out blue spaces for relaxation, yet anxiety about the precarity of water, too much or too little, informs everything, from fiction to urban planning.

Provenance also takes two divergent starter points, technology and craft, and looks at the ways that creatives are utilising everything, from NFTs to blockchain, to transform the way they work. Again, there are disruptive elements and dangers at play, and the benefits and drawbacks must be considered and balanced.

More than anything though, this issue celebrates the shock of the new. Whether this is with the many speculative projects from Milan Design Week or with the innovation showcased by this year’s graduates, newness, after a long time in hiatus, is back. The sheer breadth of creativity from these new designers makes this issue particularly special.

Also in this issue…

• Features essays, and interviews exploring the drivers behind the 2024 forecast
• 40 pages of design and colour and material direction and analysis
• Global colour palettes and geographic variances for Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, Asia, India, Australia & New Zealand
• Early adopters of our SS 2023 directions Kingdoms and Clinic
• Focus on New Talent

For 2024 forecasts, geographic focuses, in-depth seasonal CMF forecast, Design Impressions, editorial images and more, become a Colour Hive member today.