A massive part of the design process is the right colour palette.
The colour palette for a brand/logo must stand the test of time and be complementary to the brand and the brand values. Geography and location can affect design... here in the Lake District there are a large number of logos with the green and blue as their colour palette, plus the use of a lake and mountain shapes, whether accurate of abstract.
A few of my clients produce brochure 6-9 months on advance, so a bit of ‘trend forecasting’ needs investigating! Pantone is one if my ‘go to’ resources for future colour palettes, Pantone and London Fashion Week release their colours around 6 months in advance, and Pantone launch a Pantone Colour of the Year annually. Dulux have done this for a few years now as well.
A Google search can often give great results and guide you to websites that feature trending colours in fashion and interiors.
Adobe has a great source of colour palettes with Adobe Colour. Each colour palette can be downloaded and imported into Illustrator/InDesign etc. Creating your own library is a great option here, you can dip in and out without downloading each and every palette that you like. They have a great ‘Trends’ section too, for graphic design, fashion, illustration, travel and more.
Home interiors are a useful source of inspiration, websites like Made.com, Next, M&S, Dwell and Habitat all have great websites for extracting ‘on poinyt’ colour themes and ideas.
Another great resource is simply getting out and about and visiting various shows and exhibitions. Spring Fair is a good one at the NEC in Birmingham, plus it’s free entry if you sign up online. The Surface Design Show at the Business Design Centre is another great example. 100% Design at Olympia London is a good one too. Visiting shows like these gives you the chance to meet and chat with other people with the same interests, and also the chance to do some networking! Top tip.... comfy footwear is a must!