Reflecting on Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year

Pantone, or what I like to call the color cult, basically curates the universal standard for color in the design world, and every year, they release a Color of the Year. According to Pantone:

“For over 20 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design.

The Pantone Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention.”

For the year 2020, the Color of the Year was Classic Blue, and after reading “Politics of Design”, I was quickly reminded of the meaning behind Classic Blue, which I had read when it was first announced. I found it very ironic and coincidental. Then I got kind of creeped out because it seemed like Pantone had predicted that 2020 was going to be a nightmare, and they purposefully chose Classic Blue as a reminder to calm down. In the words of Pantone itself:

“A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser like clarity, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue re-centers our thoughts. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.”

I know that this is a very general statement that can be applied to any time period, but I think that after everything that 2020 has thrown at us, we should all remember the meaning behind Classic Blue as 2020 comes to a close (THANK GOODNESS).

What are your predictions for 2021’s Pantone Color of the Year? I think that it will either be a nice warm brown or bright/pastel orange, but I am just as clueless as you are.

You should also check out their Color IQ Test:

https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/color-education/color-iq-test

I took it and got a 0 (the highest score), and I have to say that is my biggest accomplishment this semester.