For the second time in its history, the Pantone Color Institute has chosen not one, but two colors for the year ahead.
Every year, the Pantone Color Institute highlights “top seasonal runway colors, selects the Pantone Color of the Year, forecasts global color trends, and advises companies on color for product and brand visual identity.”
Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced design, product development, and purchasing decisions for over 20 years – not only in fashion or home furnishings but also in industrial design, packaging, and graphic design.
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This year, the Pantone Color of the Year is… actually two colors, and the message they convey is one of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating.
“PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another, best express the mood for Pantone Color of the Year 2021. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, the union of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It is a story of color that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.”
PANTONE 13-0647:
“Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power.”
PANTONE 17-5104:
“Ultimate Gray is emblematic of solid and dependable elements, which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation. The colors of pebbles on the beach and natural elements whose weathered appearance highlights an ability to stand the test of time, Ultimate Gray quietly assures, encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness, and resilience.”
In celebration of the Pantone 2021 Color of the Year, the Pantone Institute has also created Facebook and Instagram filters that can be used in augmented reality. You can also build and share palettes featuring the 2021 Color of the Year in the Pantone Connect digital color platform.
This is the second time in its 22-year history that Pantone has chosen two colors. In 2015, Rose Quartz and Serenity were chosen for 2016, in a nod to a increasing recognition of gender fluidity.