One Shade of Gray, With a Twist

PANTONE® Color Institute Announces its 2021 Color of the Year
 
It’s tempting to see this as a piece of sardonic humor; a joke to cement the dire state of a twelve-month period unrivaled in recent US history. Most of us are hoping for a sunnier time head, but the realists at PANTONE® Color Institute—a commercial entity standardizing color tones—have made a selection for its color of the year 2021. And it’s a doozy.

But perhaps it makes total sense. It’s time to embrace gray with a little boost, and PANTONE®’s choice as the marquee shade duo for 2021 does just that.

For the first time ever, the showcased tone blends two independent existing shades, PANTONE® 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE® 13-0647 Illuminating, a sunny yellow. The refined result reflects “a message of happiness supported by fortitude,” the entity claims. This hybrid gray-yellow tone is seen as adding vibrancy to an old favorite. That is inspiring.
 
A broad reach
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PANTONE® serves as an essential gauge for navigating through design projects, which are most often settled in the home décor sector, but also spill over into textiles and clothing, as well as graphic design for digital art. Interior design experts delight in the additions to PANTONE® color banks, and this year’s contribution is in keeping with fashion trends.

Gray has become a household favorite in home design. As this decade’s newest fashionable neutral, it replaces the whites, creams, and beiges from yesteryear. More homes than ever before are treated to decadent shades of gray in wall paint, flooring, furniture, and artistic décor.

In selecting its color-of-the-year designee, PANTONE® takes into account developing color influences that arise in pop culture, industrial design, art, fashion, and overall lifestyles. The year 2021 marks a shade of gray due to its bridging of seasonal factors, popularity in all areas of design, and a forecast of how it will shape the future of color choices. Adding the uplifting yellowed tone may be intended as a mood lift for those of us who have waded through a difficult year, which is pretty much everyone. Or, it might just be a lot of fun for designers.