As consumers prepare to round off one the most difficult years in history, Pantone has chosen two colours for its 2021 colour of the year that it hopes will inject some positivity and stability for customers.
While the coronavirus pandemic has been the force behind consumers’ disconnection, it has also instilled a global feeling of togetherness and unity as the world continues to grapple with the outbreak.
To reflect this, the Pantone Color Institute has married Ultimate grey and Illuminating yellow, or Pantone 17-5104 and 13-0647, two independent colours that together deliver a ‘deeper feeling of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine filled day’.
“The selection of two independent colours highlight how different elements come together to express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting, conveying the idea that it’s not about one colour or one person, it’s about more than that,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.
“The union of an enduring Ultimate grey with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude.
“Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted, this is essential to the human spirit.”
For beauty looks, Pantone said combining Ultimate grey and Illuminating yellow in hair or on nails makes a “dramatic statement”.
Meanwhile, for eyes the group suggests yellow sparkles and shimmer when paired with grey.
Pantone’s VP Laurie Pressman added: “The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that colour can hope to answer.
“As society continues to recognise colour as a critical form of communication, and a way to symbolise thoughts and ideas, many designers and brands are embracing the language of colour to engage and connect.”
This is the second time the colour expert has named two colours for its prediction; the first was in 2016 with Serenity and Rose Quartz.
Pantone’s colour of 2020, Classic Blue, was said to offer consumers “a dependable and stable foundation on which to build [a future]” during a period of political, economic and social turbulence.