Whilst Pantone’s choices for its coveted Color of the Year shade have, in recent years, been ‘calm’ and ‘confident’ (Living Coral, 2019), ‘boundless’ and ‘dependable’ (Classic Blue, 2020), the announcement of its 2021 title represents an entirely different message.
The fusion of Pantone’s 17-5104 Ultimate Grey and 13-0647 Illuminating is a reassuring nod to hope and aspiration during these times of uncertainty and entirely captures the Pantone Color Institute’s perception of psychology, colour influences and its trend analysis.
For a time when the global pandemic has wielded its worst and people need to feel things will get brighter, the Institute has selected two colours that represent happiness and give us hope, as Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute reveals.
‘The union of an enduring Ultimate Grey with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positives supported by fortitude,’ she explains. ‘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.’
Using colour to inspire creativity, productivity and brand loyalty.
The Institute’s Color of the Year selection has inspired creative industries around the world for over 20 years, influencing everything from fashion to home furniture, product packaging to interior design. Crucially, for organisations who depend on colour choices for their product and brand visual identity, harnessing the potency of colour and applying it to their built environments can yield incredible results.
Signbox has used this holistic approach in its interior and exterior signage concepts for many years; we know that marrying colour with the brand and intelligent design and materials has a transformative power. We’re doing just that with beautiful digital wallcoverings, workplace graphics, wayfinding signage and branding signage schemes that reinforce brand perceptions and project first impressions that workforces and visitors can relate to.
But more than that, a considered signage scheme that uses colour to leverage psychology, emotion and interaction will engender loyalty to the brand and ensure workspaces and public places are environments where people feel good, happy and safe.
As the Institute explains, its selection for the Pantone Color of the Year 2021 aims to help us all achieve just that:
‘Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Grey and Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating, two independent colours 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 Ultimate Grey and Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It is a story of colour that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.’
If you want to learn more about the power of colour and its transformative qualities in uncertain times, please contact us.
