Dawn Rae Knoth

My expertise in is Color Design, Trend Strategy, + Merchandising.

Color design creates the visual language that communicates your brand’s character and culture. Color is the first opportunity you have to speak to consumers. Done right, it generates an emotional, visceral response that leads to engagement. Color dictates consumers’ perception of your brand, their purchasing decisions, their loyalty, and their level of connection to your product or service.

Color design can include: color strategy; color palette design; color roadmaps; defining color jobs (consumer focus, longevity, usage); and building brand-specific color stories + language.

Trend strategy is a window into the future heart and mind of your customers. It captures the influences, challenges, and cultural shifts relevant to your brand and product space, connecting the dots from what is forecasted globally to what matters most for your consumers and your business. This client-specific guidance is distilled into actionable direction, initiatives, and stories. Trend forecasts are designed to deliver what is most valuable to you.

Trend strategy can include: in-depth, comprehensive presentations that outline the influences, innovations, and inspiration driving seasonal macro trends; high-level insights on key trends; seasonal color-specific forecasts; ideation on how a brand can integrate relevant trends.

Merchandising brings it all together. It provides the framework for how color will be applied across categories and assortments. Successful merchandising plans balance newness, sustainability, and consumer expectations with business goals, retail concerns, and economic indicators.

Merchandising can include: detailed merchandising plans outlining color usage by categories and consumers; visual line plans; individual color CADs; active participation throughout the seasonal design + development process.

Designed and managed all aspects of product design and development for the sandal line from ideation to market introduction. Designed color palette, webbing, accessories, marketing materials, retail displays, and catalogs. Ensured quality, design-for-manufacture, harmonious vendor relations, budget compliance, and adherence to company’s core values.

Designed and merchandised fabric collections for the contract and residential markets. Translated global design and color trends to the hospitality and housewares industries. Developed and tested woven constructions to guarantee quality product within targeted cost goals. Established a donations program to recycle excess materials to non-profits.