January 2016

New for the New Year By Tim Hodson

In December, Pantone announced that the combination of Serenity and Rose Quartz would be the 2016 Color of the Year.

Pantone’s experts say, “The color is a harmonious pairing of inviting shades that embody a mindset of tranquility and inner peace.” And in today’s crazy world couldn’t we all use a little tranquility and inner peace?

Each year the Pantone Color Institute “combs the world looking for new color influences.” This is the first time their color experts have selected two shades to be the Color of the Year.

The colors “demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

I’m sure that fashion designers, interior designers, graphic designers and the beauty industry will all incorporate these colors into their 2016 designs, but it will be interesting to see how (or if) growers will include Serenity and Rose Quartz into their 2016 production plans.

Drop me a line at thodson@greatamericanpublish.com and let me know what you think of Pantone’s 2016 color selection and whether or not it might impact your business plans this year.

Speaking of Design …

Did you notice anything different about this issue when you took it out of your mailbox? I sure hope you did.

As GPN enters into 2016 (and our 26th year), we are unveiling a fresh new design.

From Day 1, our goal has always been to provide you with the how-to, what-with information to do your job. And that is still our goal. But we also want to present you with an enjoyable reading experience.

Our new design is intended to provide readers with a clean and contemporary appearance. As you’ve already seen, the cover has a brand new logo and we have updated our color palette and fonts for an easy-to-read, modern look and feel.

We are also introducing several new features in 2016 including “40 Under 40 Perspectives” (page 14) where alumni from GPN’s 40 Under 40

program will provide you with their unique perspectives on what is happening in our industry. We also are debuting another new column on page 12, “Crossroads,” authored by A.R. Chase and Mike Zemke to address both the technical and business issues growers face every single day.

Stay tuned because in the coming months, we will be rolling out even more new editorial features.

Happy New Year!

P.S. Don’t forget, you have until Jan. 22, to nominate someone for the Class of 2016 of GPN’s 40 Under 40. Just go to www.gpnmag.com and click on “Awards” for more information.