Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year Is Going to Make You Happy
Drum roll, please: Pantone just announced its 2019 color of the year is a cheery coral.
Think back to your vacation in the Caribbean: snorkeling under the sun, marveling at the pretty undersea creatures and stunning coral reefs. Remember how relaxed and inspired by the world you felt? Well, Pantone thinks we need a dose of that optimism, and 16-1546 Living Coral—which the brand describes as “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone”—is just the color to deliver it.
Each year, color authorities make predictions on the color that will reign supreme for the following 12 months. That hue will pop up everywhere, from coffee mugs to bed sheets to the packaging in that trendy new hotel. But no one’s prediction is as influential as Pantone.
Given the lightning-fast pace of our times, it’s not surprising that like Behr and Benjamin Moore, which released their color choices a few months ago, Pantone cited nature and the need for calm as the inspiration behind 2019’s selection.
“In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life, we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy,” Pantone explains in a statement.
Living Coral fosters that connection by “embracing us with warmth” and protecting us from overstimulation similar to “how coral reefs provide shelter to a diverse kaleidoscope of color.”
Another benefit to the vibrant-yet-warm hue: It reminds us that our marine ecosystem needs help and our current way of life is not only burning us out, but endangering our oceans.
If seeing coral sweatshirts and lipsticks everywhere next year motivates us to make a change, 2019 sounds like paradise.
