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Pantone Color of the Year 2021

Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating

Combining a pair of enduring and inspiring colors to convey a message of strength and hope.

 

 

Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating, two independent colors that highlight how different elements can support each other, best express the spirit of the Pantone Color of the Year 2021. Practical and solid, yet warm and optimistic, Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating is a combination of strength and positivity. This color story encapsulates thoughtful depth and sunny, friendly hope.

 

Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating is a dream combination that brings hope and conveys an unwavering sense of happiness. We need to feel that everything will get better, and this is a fundamental element of the human spirit.

 

As people seek ways to strengthen themselves with energy, purity, and hope to overcome persistent uncertainty, vibrant and bold hues meet our pursuit of vitality. Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating is a bright, cheerful, and vibrant warm yellow hue infused with solar energy. Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray symbolizes reliable qualities, enduring, providing a solid foundation. Ultimate Gray is the color of pebbles on the beach and the basic elements of nature; its weathered appearance highlights the endurance that has stood the test of time, silently calming the heart and inducing feelings of calmness, stability, and resilience.

 

The enduring Ultimate Gray and the vibrant Illuminating work together to express a resilient truth. This color combination is both practical and solid, as well as warm and optimistic, bringing us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted, and this is a fundamental element of the human spirit.

 

The partnership of Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating inspires the soul and emphasizes our intrinsic need to be seen, highlighted, acknowledged, and heard. This color combination connects with profound observation, innovation, and intuition, and with respect for wisdom, experience, and knowledge, inspiring the ability to regenerate, pushing us forward toward new ways of thinking and new ideas.

 

About the Pantone Color of the Year

For over 20 years, the Pantone Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions across numerous industries, including fashion, home textiles, and industrial design, as well as product, packaging, and graphic design.

 

The selection process for the Pantone Color of the Year requires careful consideration and trend analysis. Every year, to select the representative color, the color experts at the Pantone Color Institute search the globe for new elements that influence color. This may include the entertainment industry and films in production, touring art exhibitions and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular tourist destinations, and new lifestyles, ways of playing, and socioeconomic conditions. Influencing factors may also come from new technologies, materials, textures, and processing effects that influence color, relevant social media platforms, and even upcoming, globally-watched sporting events.

 

About the Pantone Color Institute™

The Pantone Color Institute is a business unit within Pantone that provides services including publishing seasonal runway colors, selecting the Pantone Color of the Year, predicting global color trends, and providing color consulting for companies on product and Brand identification. Through seasonal trend forecasting, color psychology, and color consulting services, the Pantone Color Institute collaborates with brands worldwide to harness the power, psychology, and emotion of color in their design strategies.

 

Designer's Tools

Over ten million designers and manufacturers worldwide rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate, and control color from inspiration to production. This is achieved through the use of advanced technology to achieve color consistency across different materials and surface finishes in graphic, apparel, and product design. Pantone standards provide digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. Further below, we'll explore how to apply the 2021 Color of the Year to different industries, determine the color values of the representative color in various Pantone color systems, explore color palettes, color combinations, etc.

 

Application

Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating is a combination of strength and optimism, and does not have to be used in equal proportions. Whether applied to clothing, cosmetics, home decor, product design, or packaging, the proportion of one can be greater than the other.

 

Clothing and Fashion Accessories

Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating, highlighted by Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray, conveys a message of sunshine and strength. Illuminating brings in brightness through scarves, shoes, bags, shawls, and tops, providing a striking contrast to the enduring Ultimate Gray. The combination of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating presents vitality, making it perfect for sportswear color schemes; the high-contrast look of Illuminating and Ultimate Gray will enhance the appeal of outerwear.

 

 

Cosmetics

Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating are a mix of warm and cool tones, creating a dramatic style when used on hair or nails. Illuminating adds a bright shine when paired with Ultimate Gray in eye makeup.

 

 

Interior Decoration

The combination of Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating is perfect for setting the mood for any room in the home, adding a touch of sunshine and positivity. Using Illuminating and Ultimate Gray together in tablecloths, bed linens, and home accessories including pillows and table decorations will bring vibrancy and vitality. Painting the front door Illuminating yellow and using the solid and reliable Ultimate Gray in exterior finishes conveys a warm and welcoming message. Using Ultimate Gray as a solid base to complement the eye-catching, intuitive, and lively Illuminating is the ideal color combination for any office in the home or commercial space, brightening the path to an open mind, seeking the desire for knowledge, originality, and abundant wisdom.

 

 

Packaging and Multimedia Design

Pairing the high visibility and reflectivity of PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow with the resilience of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray creates a striking combination that demands attention wherever it appears. Combining the friendly Illuminating Yellow with the reassuring Ultimate Gray, its application in packaging and multimedia design injects vibrancy into a solid foundation of reliability, intelligence, and experience.

 

 

 

Color Values

Simulation of PANTONE 17-5104 (Matching graphic design color number: COOL GRAR 7C)

sR 147  sG 149  sB 151

HEX/HTML: 939597

 

Simulation of PANTONE 13-0647 (Matching graphic design color number: 106C or 113C)

sR 245  sG 223  sB 77

HEX/HTML: F5DF4D

 

 

How to use PANTONE 2021 Color of the Year

 

We have planned five color series highlighting the Color of the Year to help you bring this special annual color into your designs. Each color series conveys a different atmosphere, showcasing the versatility of the Color of the Year, and includes three suggested color combinations.

 

AVIARY

 

 

 

"Aviary" is a set of lively and cheerful colors, symbolizing the vibrant and eye-catching richness of bird feathers. This optimistic and positive color series incorporates the cheerful and bright colors, including PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow, along with PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray, bringing a natural element, and contrasted with the elegant white PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer to inject drama into the series.

 

ENLIGHTENMENT

 

 

 

"Enlightenment" is a story of colors facing the future and youth, evoking a hypnotic space that extends our minds to another realm, inspiring our desire to reimagine. The pairing of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow blends intelligence, experience, and our desire to move forward, toward new ways of thinking and discovering new profound insights. Meanwhile, the silver metallic PANTONE 20-0087 Lead Crystal adds a touch of shimmering moonlight.

 

INTRIGUE

 

 

 

"Intrigue" is a captivating blend of colors that embraces a great fusion of influences. On the one hand, it exudes a unique and strong individualistic style while at the same time showing a mass appeal, "Intrigue"'s lasting appeal throughout the year is highlighted by the addition of the stable and reliable PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and the sunny bright yellow PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow.

 

ORBITAL

 

 

 

The "Orbital" color series' shimmering metallic tones, appearing in the intoxicating galaxy of outer space, reflect the enthusiasm for exploring space travel. The golden image of PANTONE 20-0040 Luxe Lemon shines with vitality, while PANTONE 20-0005 Chrome mimics the twinkling light of the starry sky.

 

SUN AND SHADOW

 

 

 

The resilient PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and the hopeful PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow infuse the earth-toned "Sun and Shadow" color series with strength and positivity. The color story of this series transcends age and gender, describing the pristine beauty around us.