Stop Starting With the What | MC&Co Trend – Clarity for What Comes Next
Stop Starting with the What
Why understanding why and when is more important than simply pursuing the next trend
For years, the design and interiors industry has focused on identifying the 'what.'
What colour is “In”?
What style is “Out”?
What trend is replacing the last one?
“In and out” lists dominate headlines, and Colour of the Year campaigns reset the narrative each January. Inspiration is delivered quickly and assertively.
And yet, many businesses feel less certain than ever.
Ranges are developed rapidly but become outdated just as quickly. Internal teams struggle to align on direction. Products may appear appropriate but do not always perform. The costs of errors in sampling, inventory, marketing, and margin continue to increase.
The issue isn’t a lack of information.
Most decisions still begin from the wrong starting point.
They start with “What”.
The problem with “in and out” thinking
“In and out” trend lists are appealing because they simplify complexity, promise clarity, create urgency, and provide teams with tangible points of reference.
But they also flatten reality.
Aesthetic change does not occur instantly. It evolves unevenly across markets, categories, price points, and consumer mindsets.
Studies regularly show that organisations perform better when they commit to fewer, more clearly articulated strategic choices rather than reacting tactically to short-term signals. Harvard Business Review has repeatedly highlighted that excessive reactivity increases decision noise, weakens alignment, and erodes long-term advantage.
In design, this results in fragmented assortments, unclear brand language, and ranges that lack a distinct perspective.
The same critique applies to many Colour of the Year campaigns.
Why Colour of the Year often creates more confusion than clarity
Colour of the Year initiatives are effective marketing tools that generate conversation, visibility, and cultural relevance. However, as strategic inputs, they are often misunderstood and misused.
A single colour cannot represent the emotional, cultural, and behavioural complexity of a global market. When businesses interpret Colour of the Year too literally, colour becomes disconnected from context, including lifestyle, materiality, form, and especially timing.
Behavioural research shows that people do not respond to colour in isolation. The meaning of colour is shaped by environment, memory, aspiration, and usage. Studies referenced by MIT and McKinsey highlight that emotional resonance, rather than surface novelty, drives long-term preference and loyalty.
Colour only works commercially when it constitutes part of a broader aesthetic and emotional system.
Which brings us back to the real issue.
Design decisions don’t fail because the “what” They fail because the 'why' and 'when' were never clearly defined. Never clear.
Most businesses don’t need more inspiration.
They need stronger justification.
The most successful design-led organisations understand three things:
- Why aesthetics are changing: the emotional, social, and behavioural forces driving the shift
- When those changes become commercially viable, and when they remain premature
- What these changes mean visually, before translating them into products
This logic is echoed well beyond the design industry.
Simon Sinek’s widely referenced Golden Circle suggests that organisations starting with 'why' create stronger alignment and trust than those focused on outputs. Clayton Christensen’s Jobs-to-Be-Done theory positions products as responses to emotional and functional needs, rather than as stylistic features.
What’s often missing in design conversations, however, is timing.
The missing layer: timing as a commercial advantage
Aesthetic ideas progress through phases: emergence, evolution, maturity, and eventual decline. However, they do not advance at the same pace in every context.
An aesthetic that is experimental in one market may be established in another. A colour considered “new” in editorial contexts may already be widespread commercially. A material story that resonates emotionally may not yet be scalable.
Market adoption theory, often cited in innovation and product strategy research, shows that success depends not only on recognising change but also on entering the market at the right time.
This is where many businesses struggle.
They either move too early, carrying the cost of education and low uptake, or too late, entering crowded territory with limited differentiation.
Clarity doesn’t come from more trends.
It comes from understanding your position on the adoption curve.
The Two Whats: a more effective approach to considering aesthetics
Once why and when are clear, the role of the what changes completely.
In our work, we observe two distinct “whats” that are often combined, which undermines both.
What #1: Aesthetic direction
This stage focuses on alignment, shared language, and a clear visual and emotional territory that teams can understand, test, and build confidence around. It is not about final products, but about decision-making clarity.
What #2: Product execution
This is where design becomes tangible through ranges, forms, materials, colours, and specifications. Without the first “what,” this stage becomes reactive and fragmented.
Separating these two stages reduces risk and encourages businesses to explore, validate, and commit with intention rather than urgency.
Clarity for what comes next
“Clarity for what comes next” is not about predicting a single outcome.
It is about giving businesses the confidence to move forward, understanding why they are acting, when to act, and what to prioritise.
In an environment saturated with trends, clarity becomes a competitive advantage.
Not because it simplifies the world,
but because it acknowledges its complexity.
A simple self-check for leaders
Before committing to your next aesthetic or range decision, ask:
- Can we clearly articulate why this direction matters now, beyond taste or novelty
- Do we understand when it is right for our market, category and customer?
- Are we in agreement on the aesthetic direction before locking into product outcomes?
If the answer is unclear, the risk isn’t that you’re behind.
It’s that you’re moving without conviction.
Michael Cleghorn is Founder and CEO of MC&Co Trend, a global trend intelligence consultancy working across interiors, furniture and home lifestyle categories.
