Interior Designers, Graphic, Fashion and Accessory Designers follow seasonal trends such as patterns, texture and color which is why when you shop, you find similar colors and color combinations in clothing, accessories, textiles and interiors paint.

Designers have different trend resources but the longest lasting and most important is Pantone the color company.

In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, an American chemist, developed a system to standardize color and specified the exact formula for each shade ensuring that the color was always the same. The name pantone makes it clear: “pan” means “all” and “tone” means “color.” Coca-Cola’s red color (Pantone 484) is recognized the world round because the red is the same whenever its used.

Pantone’s annual color of the year announcement is more than just forecasting color trends, it also showcases its talent for understanding how societal changes influence our color selections.

Announcing the Pantone Color of the Year 2021

This year, Pantone combined two colors to reflect a mood they feel is important for 2021, strength and positivity.

The combination of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is aspirational and gives us hope.

The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted, this is essential to the human spirit.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute