Setting the Tone

Every year the Pantone Color Institute selects a color reflective of the cultural climate – the current political, social, and economic state and demands are mirrored in the psychological effects of the color. This year Pantone named Living Coral (Pantone 16-1546) as the shade to keep an eye out for across the fashion, furnishing, product, packaging and graphic design industries. After the first Color of the Year was named in 2000, one has to ask: How does Pantone select this color? What makes them the experts? Does this actually mean anything?

According to Pantone’s website, Pantone Color Institute experts choose the color after thoughtful consideration and careful trend analysis. In a 2014 interview with Glamour, Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone, describes the intricacies of the nine-month process for selecting the Color of the Year, which typically begins in the spring of each year. Eiseman states that the experts first find colors that are popping up more within the fashion industry. However, it is not just the fashion industry that dictates the Color of the Year—the Pantone team looks at cars, films and art to evaluate what colors are being used and how they are being used.

Pantone’s Color of the Year is not only what’s in vogue, but it’s a reflection of current culture. Eiseman, who has a background in psychology, acknowledges the importance of the brain and its processes in perceiving color. The Pantone website even provides a psychological explanation behind each color chosen for a given year. Living Coral reflects that as a society we look for “authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy.” The color-picking process allows the company to demonstrate how the neurological and psychological perceptions of a color effectively lead to its popularization. 

So, who gives Pantone the authority to declare the Color of the Year? As it turns out, no one does. While Pantone has positioned itself as the leading color expert  (countries such as Scotland and Canada use Pantone-specific colors in their flags) the company does not actively profit from the annual color announcement. Pantone does not directly sell products in the color it chooses, nor does it require companies to buy licensing for selling products in the color. It is unclear exactly why Pantone’s Color of the Year has been adopted by companies as a standard by which to sell products but the color has nonetheless become a widely-applicable marketing tool for companies as it validates their decision to include the color in their products. 

Though Pantone has no direct way to measure whether their chosen color was the color of the year, the color nonetheless inevitably sets trends. Because Pantone picks the year’s color based on what is most prevalent in many industries, companies can easily market products with the annual color almost as soon as it is announced. Consequently, the existing products that Pantone based their decision off of receive an official stamp of approval in using Pantone’s color of the year, making them more appealing to customers. This again increases the color’s prevalence in fashion, furnishing, technology and art. Regardless of whether we agree with their selection the cyclical nature of the system enhances the color’s popularity once it has been Pantone approved. It’s likely that Pantone will end up “correct” anyways. 

In terms of decor, Living Coral can be purchased in anything from a rug to a bath set to a sofa to a KitchenAid mixer. Fashion isn’t far behind either. The Spring 2019 collections of Marc Jacobs, Prada, Fendi and Christian Siriano included this vibrant, peachy tone. In 2017 when Pantone named Greenery (Pantone 15-0343) the color of the year, Mercedes released a car in a spring green shade and Airbnb partnered with Pantone on an immersive “greenery-themed” experience in London. 

As the self-fulfilling prophecy fulfills itself, and Pantone’s Color of the Year becomes visible in more markets, it is evident that Pantone’s Color of the Year declaration shapes the colors seen across the world.