The relationship between IFDM and the world of color goes beyond simple communication. Over time, the Wonder Book has evolved into a platform for exploration and research. With its ‘stories about color’ accompanying each edition, the book provides professionals with a tool to explore new ways of living and designing through original and timeless color palettes. In this sense, the book offers a privileged view of color trends and provides inspiration for new ideas. This publication marks the beginning of an exclusive partnership between IFDM and Sigma Coatings, broadening IFDM’s perspective on the color universe in line with the brand’s vision. For Sigma Coatings – a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings Italy – color is understood as a design infrastructure, not merely an aesthetic choice. This approach is realised through the research and technological innovation of its coating products for the architectural sector.
Sigma Coatings’ color research follows a dual, parallel and complementary path. On the one hand, there is technical performance, such as color fidelity and stability, reproducibility and measurable sustainability. On the other hand, there is trend analysis, which leads to the definition of a ‘color of the year’. This synergy between color, product, technology and application leads to the creation of an integrated system in which all of the company’s expertise, technologies and processes work together as a single entity. This allows color to become a design element rather than merely decoration. International color research is therefore an integral part of the process, and this study is important for the brand because color information is among the first things processed by the visual system. This contributes decisively to the emotional evaluation of space.
Using a research- and observation-based approach to consumer behaviour and emerging trends in different markets, PPG’s team of stylists and color specialists identify the prevailing color orientation for projects and products; Sigma Coatings, as a brand within the Architectural Coatings division, interprets and applies the findings and insights from these studies to generate in-depth analyses that help architects and designers to create welcoming and comfortable spaces that have a strong sensory impact. Research by Sigma Coatings shows that socio-economic changes are reflected in housing trends, which can be matched by a color palette. Therefore, certain events and emerging movements correspond to colors that express people’s needs. So how did we arrive at ‘Secret Safari’?
Color of the year: Secret Safari (PPG1110-4)
“Secret Safari reflects a changing world searching for its roots,” explains Francesco Pezzo, PPG’s commercial specification manager. “It is an invitation to slow down in a fast-paced world. It is a color that represents belonging, balance and a conscious future. It is a perfect synthesis of what green has represented in recent years.” Over the last ten years, the color green has accompanied us in different shades. It is no coincidence that it has been voted “color of the year” five times by PPG. From lush jungle tones to rich mineral shades and lush botanical yellow-green mid-tones, green has embarked on an aesthetic and symbolic journey that has transformed it from a simple decorative color to a design language. This evolution reflects cultural changes such as our connection to nature, our desire for comfort, and our need for architectural expression. The shades of ‘Secret Safari’ seem to conclude this exploratory journey into the expressive possibilities of green, establishing it as a new neutral. With references to the tones of foliage and the earth, it transcends its decorative value to bring more structuring qualities to the fore. While green has always represented connection and regeneration, it now takes on new complexity. The introduction of artificial intelligence into creative processes has radically expanded the color spectrum: generative algorithms and immersive environments produce extreme saturations and synthetic ‘laboratory’ greens that can relate with interactive surfaces and augmented spaces. Secret Safari stands at this threshold. It has an almost vintage aesthetic, yet possesses the depth necessary to interact with advanced technological environments.
It is a green that supports contemporary complexity, bringing with it the experience of a decade of transformations. In a world saturated with images, color becomes even more relational.
“The name ‘Secret Safari’ reveals its identity,” continues Francesco Pezzo. “It is a color that slowly reveals itself and changes with the light, much like the vast expanses of the African savannah.” It should therefore not just be considered as a color, but a chromatic presence that emerges and disappears depending on the lighting, texture and function of the space. It never disturbs, but strikes a balance between presence and subtraction.” With its yellow-green hues and organic, mineral quality, Secret Safari is a delicate yet confident color with precise characteristics: energising, enveloping, fresh and relaxing. ‘It is slow, like enduring architecture,’ Pezzo specifies. Thanks to these qualities, it conveys serenity and connection, adapting to everyday changes and offering an unexpected effect every time. Secret Safari is the centrepiece of the ‘Parallels’ color theme, developed by PPG’s team of experts. Three distinct design trajectories branch out from this concept, expressed through color palettes related to the color of the year. Each of these will be featured in upcoming editions of the Wonder Book 2026 series: ‘Authenticity’, which explores the value and origins of matter; ‘Visionary’, which investigates technological hybridisation and the impact of artificial intelligence; and ‘Expressive’, which interprets energy, identity and transformation. This color system demonstrates how Parallels’ vision elevates color to become a concrete design tool capable of responding to contemporary design needs.
