“There’s something very humbling about education. As long as you are curious and willing to know more, education will expand your mind and get you out of your comfort zone,” Regional Jotun Colour Marketing Manager Rana Khadra says.

And she sure knows what she’s talking about. Back in 2019, she and the Colour Marketing team for the Middle East, India and Africa market (MEIA) noticed a gap in the market.

“In our work we often met designers, architects and consultants, and we noticed a need for more knowledge about the science and theory of colour and paint. So we decided to launch Colour Academy in collaboration with Natural Color System (NCS)!”

The goal of the Academy is to educate and provide participants with that special edge that will help them elevate their intuitive feel for colour.

“And we wanted to further equip them with knowledge about colour theory and paint because we know what difference that can make for a project,” Khadra explains.

Easier decisions and beautiful projects

As colour and paint are a major part of property projects, whether it is a private home or a landmark, The Colour Academy is designed for anyone working as an interior designer, architect or consultant who selects the paint.

“When learning about colour design, choices and decisions become easier and projects become more beautiful,” Khadra says.

Together with the team, Khadra has designed three different courses: A half-day course, a full-day course and a course spanning over two days. Depending on the duration of the course, the content includes segments such as what colour is all about and the science behind it, colour psychology and culture, common mistakes in paint and developing a mood board with colours and paint choices for a project they are working on.

“And at the end of the course the participants receive a certificate from Jotun and NCS.” 

Expanding the Academy to other markets

Based on positive feedback from workshop participants in the Middle East, Khadra and the rest of the Academy team have refined the programme and are working on expanding with more courses aimed at reaching other audiences as well. 

“Covid has slowed our expansion plans down a bit, but we have Turkey as part of the Academy. But we have plans to digitise our courses as well!”

You say we can never stop learning, both as a teacher and a student. What is something you learned by working with the Colour Academy?

“The joy of teaching! I get to meet and chat with people who use our products, and get to know their needs and their worries. I have learned a lot myself.”

The Colour Academy is currently only available by invitation. If you are interested to see if your market currently offers Colour Academy courses, please contact your local market.