Self-analysis tool creates pathway to make paint color selection easy PITTSBURGH, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Your fondness for the sweet taste of fresh blueberries or the aroma of baking bread may help you choose off the menu at a restaurant. But will those favorites help you select the right wall colors for your home? Porter Paints believes they will. The company is introducing The Voice of Color paint and color design system in Cincinnati. The system connects an individual's personality, style and interests with contemporary colors to reveal a personal color palette that helps consumers achieve color-perfect decorating. "It typically isn't a lack of selection that makes our color choices difficult," said Tom Dougherty, marketing manager, Porter Paints. "Instead, we have such an abundance of available colors that it can be difficult to even find a starting point for the right hue. It's not more colors people want, it's an understanding and acknowledgement that the choices they make - or want to make - reflect who they are. This understanding breeds confidence." The Voice of Color is built on the premise that every color has an emotional association, and individuals are drawn to different colors for reasons inherently tied to their unique personalities. Individuals better identify preferences through images, emotional words, metaphors, and their five senses. These methods tap into mental drivers, such as memories and personal experiences that form a psychological make-up and a connection to certain colors. The Voice of Color creates a conscious association between color selection, personality and self-expression that empowers consumers to make relevant and meaningful color choices based on their needs, feelings and preferences. "Recent behavioral studies indicate that people are searching for an emotional, meaningful connection to the choices they make," said Josette Buisson, artistic director for The Voice of Color system. "They want their decisions to better reflect their individuality. The Voice of Color addresses these needs. It doesn't just show consumers what colors work well together. It creates an individual color identity based on that person's psychological and behavioral make-up. This provides meaning and inspires confidence in their color decisions." The Voice of Color is an integrated, comprehensive design system that uses attractive tools and materials to redefine the world of color and, by identifying their color personality, assists consumers in following a simple path to choosing colors for their surroundings. Among its elements are the Color Sense Game(TM), exclusive color families, unique decorating color chips and Web site. "Manufacturers and other influencers have traditionally dictated color selection for consumers," said Buisson, creator of the Color Sense Game. "Color preferences are unique. Choosing color is a personal exercise. Emotion, experience, style and values all shape our color preferences. Many times, we're not even aware of why we like a color or how certain colors in tandem make us feel. Revealing our interests and traits brings us to a better understanding of why we gravitate to certain colors. It breeds confidence while simplifying the color selection process." The Color Sense Game The starting point of The Voice of Color system is the Color Sense Game (http://www.porterpaints.com/), a captivating, visually stimulating, and research- based analysis that helps users gain an understanding of their color preferences on a psychological level. Participants of the Color Sense Game respond to a number of questions on color influencers such as emotion, the five senses, dreams and personality. For example, participants are asked to choose random words that appeal to them. Choices include sensitive and harmonious or cheerful and exotic. Another question asks visitors to choose their dream preference, some of which include riding horses in Montana or a cruise off the Greek Islands aboard a luxury sailboat. The Harmony Color Families Preferences identified through the Color Sense Game reflect a primary and secondary color personality embodied by one of nine Porter Paints Harmony Collection color families. Harmony Collection color families integrate contemporary colors in new and exciting ways that deliver color schemes in tune with personalities and present-day styles. Color families include the vibrant Desert Spice; earthy Leather, Stone & Wood; and tranquil Water Beads. Each family features a signature color (e.g. orange for Desert Spice, blue for Water Beads), as well as coordinating colors. Influenced by social events, fashion and new technology, the world of interior design is subtly and continually reinvented to reflect social realities. The Harmony Collection color families adapt to these societal trends to maintain a fresh and modern appeal. Each year brings new trends in reinvented harmonies and different color combinations. Trends for 2008 are reflected in the EcoEcho theme, which embodies the heightened environmental consciousness that currently influences style. The four emerging color trends within EcoEcho for 2008-2009 are Fair Trade, EcoTechno, EcoLoco, and Vintage. "There is no singular trend," Buisson said. "No single color can be declared the one trend color. Instead, many influences converge to create distinct atmospheres consisting of both color and style, and which appeal to different groups of people. We capture this ideal with our annual trends." The Voice of Color Tools Every Harmony color family includes a set of several decorating chips of five colors apiece that work best in bringing to life a color personality. Voice of Color promotes a unique 60:30:10 decorating concept, where one color of the palette is the dominant (60 percent) color of the space. This is typically the wall space. A secondary color (30 percent, representing ceiling, furniture fabrics, etc.) and three supporting colors (10 percent, representing accents like trim, molding, picture frames, lampshades, etc.) complement the dominant color. Not every color on the palette has to be incorporated in a room. And the colors on the palette are interchangeable; thus a supporting color on the palette can be the dominant color in a room. The color scheme influences all aspects of the space, including floor coverings, furniture, paint and accessories. The Voice of Color Paint Visualizer software shows consumers how color schemes will appear before purchasing materials. With the visualizer, consumers can download a digital picture or scan of the space being painted and then electronically apply paint colors to get a true representation of the finished product, complete with existing furniture or wall coverings. The Voice of Color Trial Size Paint program allows consumers to test colors in their homes before committing to a color or palette. In handy quart- sized cans, Porter Paints can tint any of the 1,890 colors available in The Voice of Color program, including all of the Harmony colors. Tying the design system together is the Porter Paints Voice of Color Web site (http://www.porterpaints.com/), a gateway for homeowners to achieve their decorating vision. It includes a portfolio showing interior designers' work, Inspiration y Room type, the ability to customize paint chips, and painting and color tips. All materials are available at Porter Paints dealer locations in Cincinnati. About Porter Paints Porter Paints is a manufacturer of quality paints for more than 100 years, covering the professional painter and consumer markets. Consumer brands include Silken Touch, Permanizer and Acri-Pro. Porter Paints are manufactured by PPG Industries, one of the world's largest paint producers with brands including: Pittsburgh Paints, Olympic Paints & Stains. About PPG Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, chemicals, optical products, specialty materials, glass and fiber glass. The company has more than 150 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries. Sales in 2007 were US$11.2 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit http://www.ppg.com/. DATASOURCE: Porter Paints CONTACT: Craig Pellegrini for Porter Paints, +1-412-394-6649, ; or Dee Schlotter of PPG, +1-412-434-4172, Web site: http://www.porterpaints.com/ http://www.ppg.com/

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