COLOUR OF THE YEAR 2019

November 20, 2019

In December, the Pantone Colour Institute will be announcing the Colour of the Year 2020. With there still being a couple of weeks left until 2019 comes to a close, I wanted to take some time to focus on Living Coral, the Colour of the Year for 2019.

THE PANTONE STORY

Pantone is most commonly known for its standardised colour matching system that makes designing, printing and manufacturing globally consistent. Have you ever been in a situation with someone where you both have a completely different perception of what colour something was? Well, this misunderstanding can be a creative person’s nightmare! Luckily, the Pantone colour codes prevent such mix-ups at the printers. Hooray :)

The Pantone Colour Institute is a unit within Pantone that provides a consultancy service. They are responsible for forecasting colour trends and providing colour insights through research spanning across a number of industries including entertainment, economic, art, travel, design and fashion. In 2000, it was this Institute that created the Pantone ‘Colour of the Year’. Needless to say it has had a huge influence on trends in the creative, branding and marketing professions.

WHY CORAL?

Pantone describes Living Coral as being representative of optimism and light-heartedness, which is felt is needed given the current climate. The colour is described as an "animating and life-affirming shade of orange with a golden undertone".

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Pantone Colour of the Year

How has the Colour of the Year changed over time? As you can see below, the colours vary quite a lot year on year, with each year representing a specific focus. For example, Pantone describes emerald as ‘enhancing our sense of well-being, balance and harmony’, whereas Ultra Violet focuses more on future thinking.

2016 was the first year that two colours in the mix - Serenity and Rose Quartz. Which colour is your favourite? Mine are Rose Quartz, Serenity and Turquoise (I couldn’t pick just one…I know).