Pantone has picked Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, an “optimistic” yellow hue, as its colors of the year for 2021.

About Pantone Color of the year 

The selection of the Pantone Color of the Year takes significant study and trend analysis. To generate the selection, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute scour the globe for new color ideas each year. New technology, materials, textures, and effects that alter color, relevant social media platforms, and even major sporting events that get worldwide attention can all be used to create impacts.

Color selection for 2021 & its impact

Pantone, an American color business, believes that the color combination will assist individuals “fortify themselves with vitality, clarity, and hope” in an uncertain environment. Only twice before having the Pantone Color Institute’s experts bestowed this honor on two colors (in 2016 to recognize gender fluidity). It feels like a medal right now; after the likes of 2020, heck, 2021 deserves it.

Originally projected to be a peaceful year in classical blue, last year is the most chaotic ever, and I feel depressingly dizzy and raw over it. Nonetheless, the weird highs and (mostly) lows of solitude are a wonderful example of how out of control this year has been. Nevertheless, endurance, strength, and hope have kept us going by the skin of our teeth, and it is these three characteristics that we attribute to the grey and yellow of 2021.

Ultimate Gray appears to be solid, impenetrable, and desolate on the one hand. On the other hand, we have Illuminating yellow, which is a lighter, more hopeful, and modern color. When you combine the two, you’ll notice Pantone’s color choice has a warm resilience to it.

How are the illuminating gray and yellow impacting the overall design industry?

“The use of two distinct colors emphasizes how many aspects work together to produce a message of strength and hopefulness that is both durable and inspiring, expressing the concept that it is about more than one color or one individual. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “the union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vivid yellow Illuminating transmits a message of positivity reinforced by tenacity.”

“This is a color combination that offers us resilience and optimism since it is practical and rock-solid while yet being warm and optimistic. We need to be encouraged and uplifted; it is vital to our well-being.”

“As society grows to realize color as an important form of communication and a tool to signify thoughts and ideas, many designers and brands are embracing color as a language to engage and connect.”

Bottom Line 

If Pantone Color is meant to emphasize the connection between color trends and what is going on in the globe, we can only hope that this year’s prognosis of hope and stability is more than just an informed guess.

So, if you are in a business line, this might help you in setting up your latest social media trends. So, explore the styles and designs and share around the media for hope and optimism. Hopefully, it impacts the world in the same way it is known.