How Can Two Colors Both Be the 2016 "Color of the Year"?
I’m so old that I remember when the Pantone® Color System was virtually the exclusive domain of the design community. While certain colors were often trendy during specific eras (think psychedelic colors of the sixties or earth tones of the seventies), Pantone’s role in those days was more about providing color swatch books of Biblical proportions so that graphic designers could make sure their creative vision matched the reality of the printed page.
My, how times have changed.
Today, Pantone has become a pundit of popular culture, at least as far as color goes. And for 2016 Pantone has doubled down on its bet as to the colors of our lives in the coming year. They are giving us not one, but two “Colors of the Year”: Rose Quartz described as a kind of “mineral pink” (whatever that is), and Serenity, characterized simply as “light blue.”
Here’s how Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®, describes their choice(s), “As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”
Are you inspired?
I know I can’t wait to see how our creative department psychologically fulfills our clients’ customers’ yearnings for reassurance and security. Who knows, maybe pink and blue really are the new black?
Be that as it may, I am not trying to diminish the value of Pantone’s role in the color revolution or making judgments about their choices. I just thought I would have some fun with this breaking news from the colorful world of popular culture.
Think pink, my friends (with a sultry side of Serenity).
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