Every business has a shtick. Color is no different. Pantone, founded in the 60’s, revolutionized the printing business when it cataloged color to create a universal and standardized color language. In 2000, the company ginned up its social currency when it rolled out the color equivalent of the Oscar’s, known as The Color of The Year. The inaugural winner was Cerulean Blue 15-4020. The color of the sky.
Color is Powerful
Did those in charge of the launch pick shades based on the national mood? In 1999, we were freaked out over Y2K. Did the good folks at Pantone chose this calm and hypnotic shade in late 1999, to reassure us the sky was not going to fall?
Color Cues
The answer is yes. The company created the Pantone Color Institute to research, debate and wrap authority around its selection. They combed the globe; film, sport, music, travel destinations, entertainment, socio-economic conditions, organic movements, art, fashion, architecture and more. Today, the choice resonates across a wide swath of industries from fashion and textiles, to industrial, graphic and media design.
A Coincidence?
Interestingly, in 2009, in the throes of the Great Recession, The Institute chose Pantone 14-0848- Mimosa – an optimistic, bubbly nod to better times ahead. Must have been the perfect elixir, as le bons temps began to rouler.
And the winner is….
Now in its 20th year, Pantone’s Color Institute crowned 19-4052, Classic Blue the 2020 winner. The Institute’s color savant explained, “instilling calm, confidence and connection, this enduring blue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”
