We make color make sense

Chromaflow Design is a CMF consultancy that brings strategic thinking and real-world experience to color decisions across brands, categories, and materials.

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Color decisions are complex

Color decisions shape how brands are seen, yet they are often harder than they need to be. We bring research, clarity, and data driven insights to the process, helping teams move from subjective debate to confident direction.

With more than 20 years of combined experience launching hundreds of products across dozens of brands, we understand how to use color as a strategic tool for brand success.

color

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material

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finish

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color + material + finish +

How we can help

RESEARCH & STRATEGY

CMF Strategy
Trend and Color Forecasting
Competitive Analysis and Brand Positioning
Consumer Research
Seasonal Thematics

IDEATION & APPLICATION

Color Palettes and Mood Boards
Product Renders
Physical and Digital Material Trays
Print and Pattern
Licensing Concepts

DEVELOPMENT & EXECUTION

Material Selection and Sourcing
Color Harmonization Across Materials
Product Specifications
Color Matching
Finish Development

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Who we’ve worked with

Together we’ve worked with over 40 brands to shape their CMF. These are the brands we’ve impacted the most:

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What our clients say

“Maddie has continually demonstrated an enthusiasm for working with the Fresh Preserving R&D team to make sure that the designs she develops will be manufacturable as well as engaging to consumers. She seeks out feedback early and develops working relationships with the engineers she is partnering with for graphics development. She helps make the world a more beautiful place with all of the creativity and inspiration she pours into her work. In 100 years folks will still be passing around jars with her designs and marveling at their beauty and creativity.”
Stephen Galucki
Ball R&D Manager
“Shelby turns cultural moments into shelf-ready magic. Working across multiple brands and categories at Newell, and on partnerships like Disney, Ms. Rachel, and Netflix’s Stranger Things, her trend instinct shaped every hue, texture, and finish into CMF strategies that were emotionally resonant and commercially smart. She doesn’t just make products look beautiful, she makes them feel relevant. And she’s the rare designer who can sit in a room with ID, licensing, and brand teams and make everyone feel heard. Any brand looking to elevate their product storytelling through CMF would be lucky to work with her.”
Jennifer Dewart
Head of Entertainment & Culture Partnerships, Newell Brands
“Maddie has been an exceptional CMF partner, bringing deep expertise and thoughtful problem-solving as we re-imagined Flair theme packs and the InkJoy Gel color assortment to align with the brand’s experiential and multi-sensorial positioning while driving differentiation. She delivered robust color assortment and finish recommendations under tight timelines, collaborated seamlessly through iterations, and consistently balanced expertise with flexibility to meet evolving brand needs.”
Barbara Thorpe
Papermate Brand Director
“Shelby is an amazing partner to work with. With an unparalleled balance of strategic thinking and agility to get it done with quality. We worked together on creating the vision for the future of Coleman’s CMF across all of the portfolio. What came out of it was a trend setting strategy for the future of the brand with the cohesiveness we need across segments to showcase our brand story in a unique way. Shelby led the thinking behind it, deeply understanding consumer insights and trend forecasting tools to develop what will be relevant for them in a sustainable way.”
Tex Texier
Coleman Brand Director

What we’ve created

Coleman Pro’s expansion into larger product sizes required a strategic reset after the brand introduced a new design muse and redefined target use cases. With form already locked, CMF became the key lever to shift appeal toward a younger male audience. Successful CMF application helped drive an incremental $2.3M in sales for the category helped it earn a Good Design Award in 2025.

Coleman Pro

Sharpie S-Gel recently expanded from traditional business colors into the trend sphere, launching new color options annually. Two years in a row, in 2024 and 2025, our annual trending color pen was the #1 best-selling pen at Target. Overall, strategic color selection has grown S-Gel to a $120M platform since 2020, driving category incrementality and excitement for the brand.

Sharpie S-Gel

Ball Jar celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2024 and launched a new jar to commemorate the occasion. This custom pattern, which received a design patent in 2025, celebrates the brand’s heritage and expands the jar’s use case beyond traditional canning into decorative spaces. The unique embossed design was awarded a Glass Packaging Institute Clear Choice Award in 2025.

Ball 140th

The NUK x Ms. Rachel Collection features bright playful designs that emphasize learning through music and play. Designs center on Ms. Rachel’s likeness, making them instantly recognizable to her biggest little fans. As a key part of the NUK licensing portfolio, the partnership helped NUK earn 100% of the licensed cup market growth in 2025 (+8.8% / $4.5M), even as competitors declined.

NUK x Ms. Rachel