Pantone Color of the Year 2021: Ultimate Gray + Illuminating
Pantone Color Institute has named not one but two colors of the year: Ultimate Gray & Illuminating bright yellow.
Pantone Color Institute has named not one but two colors of the year: PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray, a calming shade that brings to mind stable concrete foundations and serene pebbled beaches and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, a bright yellow that evokes warm sunshine, the invigorating bite of a tart lemon and cheerful spirits.
Courtesy of Pantone - Time Magazine
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 gray and yellow 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.
Furthermore, the combination itself makes a strong statement. The choice to include two colors this year was influenced by the pandemic and events like the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. After a year when social distancing became par for the course and people organized en masse across the nation to call for racial justice, the importance of connection is at the forefront of many people’s minds. According to Laurie Pressman, vice president of the institute, this essential need for relationships is mirrored in Pantone’s decision to select two colors this year, which has only been done once before (in 2016, when the institute selected Rose Quartz and Serenity as a nod to the increasing fluidity around gender norms).
Courtesy of Pantone - Time Magazine
Yet, the goal in selecting the color of the year remains the same as in past years: to reflect the culture of the moment of time we’re living in. In retrospect, last year’s color, Classic Blue — a soothing deep indigo that sought to counter anxieties about a new decade — feels ironically prescient for a year that has been defined by uncertainty. And 2021’s colors feel altogether fitting as we prepare to welcome a new year brimming with possibilities: for a vaccine, for the world to open up again, for a return to some sense of normalcy — and the chance to connect.
“We know we’re living in an unusual time,” Pressman said. “Whether it’s about the pandemic or the uprisings around the world, we’re trying to imagine the future as we move into this very different time.”
Ultimate Gray
sRGB - 147, 149, 151
HEX - #939597
Illuminating
sRGB - 245, 223, 77
HEX - #F5DF4D
Sources:
Pantone - PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating
Time - Why Pantone Selected Not One But Two Colors of the Year for 2021
CNN Style - Pantone unveils its 2021 Color(s) of the Year: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating
NY Times - Pantone Picks Two Colors of the Year for 2021
