A Unity of Strength, Confidence and Complexity

As the world’s color authority and leading provider of professional color standards for the design world for more than 50 years, Pantone’s color forecasts are highly anticipated. The PANTONE Fashion Color Report, PANTONEVIEW home + interiors forecast, an introduction of 112 new colors to the Pantone PLUS graphics collection, and the annual Color of the Year declaration, all have a heavy influence on the fashion, home, interior, industrial, packaging, and graphic design industries.

The upcoming year for color in fashion and interiors was inspired by consumers’ continued search for reassurance and stability. Designers will seek to answer a common call for calm through a color palette that captures resilience and dependability while remaining uplifting, persuasive, and sophisticated. Satisfying a universal desire for tranquility, composure and optimism, as demonstrated by the PANTONE Color of the Year 2016, color directions continue to evolve toward an antidote to modern stresses.

As our world becomes increasingly digitalized, color is a key element that inspires and enables graphic creativity. Leveraging the international trend-spotting of the Pantone Color Institute, Pantone PLUS identified the use of Neutrals, Blushes, and nuanced Blues across graphics, packaging, print, and web design, representing the evolving taste for a simplified aesthetic. In addition, the deepening of Red, Orange and Brown shades reflect a shift toward earth-driven and organic lifestyles, while also conveying the new luxury of living well. The addition of these 112 new shades to the Pantone PLUS graphics collection is a comprehensive and powerful color palette that will look and feel familiar, but also fresh, engaging and exciting.

Overall, the unilateral approach to color and trend toward gender neutrality continues in the upcoming season. Enthusiastically responding to a public that is more comfortable with color as expression and less concerned with stereotypical ideas about gender, we see a breadth of color choices that transcend sexual identity, preference or bias. As shown through 2016’s Color of the Year, a blending of Rose Quartz and Serenity, today’s consumers have an increased comfort with using color as a form of expression, which in turn has relaxed more traditional approaches to color and has encouraged freedom and exploration. – Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute   The Color of the Year, a blending of Serenity and Rose Quartz, demonstrates an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness, order and peace, and coincides with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity.