Armed with the latest trend forecasts after attending the National Stationery Show in New York City, dotmine day planners co-founders Sarah Nicoli and Lisa Edwards are planning their 2011 collection.

Design trends dictate the look behind everything from housewares to clothing to stationary. Nicoli and Edwards started their fashionable and functional day planners in 1999 during “Millennium Fever.” With a devoted fan base and active Facebook following, their 17-month planners are known for their hip and sassy style with cover designs that can be changed each year to meet the current fashion.

“One of the really fun things about our job is attending trend workshops like these,” said Nicoli of the trade show last month. “You really get a global view of what forecasters are predicting based on what they see happening in architecture, art and fashion.”

Here are some of trends to watch out for.

Top new trends

U.S. as global trendsetter. One of the interesting transformations evident at the show is that the world looks to the U.S. now to be the global trendsetter. “It used to be Paris, then it was Tokyo and now it is very definitely the U.S.,” Nicoli said. “People want to dress like us, listen to our music and watch our TV shows. And now that everything is so global, the world is on one style wavelength.”

Color. According to event forecasters from Glidden Paint Company, the big color for next year will be a pale buttery brownish yellow.

“Color experts really feel people are ready for happiness, shown through the color yellow,” says Nicoli.

Maps. Another design element evident a year from now will be maps in all manner.

“People are leaving their hometowns and relocating far away from their families,” explains Nicoli. “Now that we have such a global identity, we all dress the same and look the same. People are struggling for their individual identity. They are asking themselves ‘How do I find my place in the universe? Where do I fit in?’ and that is showing up in design elements like atlases and compasses.”

Roses. In the design world, there is always a favorite flower that bursts on the scene every few years. Nicoli reveals that the world is moving away from the chrysanthemums seen heavily in the last few years to roses.

“We are going back to simplicity and the whole idea of honesty, earnestness, devotion and connection that the rose signifies,” she says.

Back to basics. This getting-back-to basics trend also appears in a movement toward handmade and personalized items. “This is the idea of people getting to choose what they really like; for instance, the way we offer different cover design choices for people to choose what fits their personality.”

Science. Another design trend appearing in the next year is influenced from science and the current scientific discoveries of smaller and smaller particles. “This whole molecular composition is driving color and graphic design trends, such as the colors we see when we look at things under the microscope. This often will be seen with punches of color in otherwise neutral palettes.”

Nicoli and Edwards will incorporate these trends in their August 2011 collection that comes out a year from now.

They are also developing a few new product lines, including journal products such as different organizers for weddings, new babies and memory books.

Despite the rise in electronic planners, dotmine day planners have not seen a drop in revenue, with business continuing to grow 10-30 percent every year.

“We hear from people all the time who tried the electronic PDA route and went back to the planner because they like the look and feel of pen and paper and crossing things off a list,” says Nicoli. “My own toddler once dropped my phone on the ground, cracked the crystal and there went everything. We always laugh that if we ever do a TV commercial for our business it will just be that of a toddler flushing a PDA down the toilet. You can lose everything in one flush.”

The team is investigating developing an electronic application that incorporates their unique planning tools. “We know electronic PDAs are definitely a component of the planning world and we want to be a part of it, but we want to be a part of it in a meaningful and appropriate way and offer something that nobody else offers.”

Dotmine day planners are sold nationwide at Borders, Amazon.com, as well as smaller gift and bookstores throughout the country and through their website at www.timemine.com.

Laura Blodgett is a freelance writer for Ann Arbor Business Review.