The Pantone Color Institute Announced Two Colors of the Year 2021

by Lolly Page

The two colors of the upcoming 2021 year have finally been revealed. The Pantone Color Institute, recognized globally as a leading source of color expertise, announced that the next year's main colors are 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and 13-0647 Illuminating. This is the second time in over 20 years that two colors were chosen at the same time. In 2015, Rose Quartz and Serenity were chosen for 2016.

“PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another, best express the mood for Pantone Color of the Year 2021,” reads the Pantone website.

Ultimate Gray + Illuminating convey a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.

“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,” according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

The Pantone Color of the Year was created back in 2000 as a trendsetting concept for marketing, branding, and creative industries in general. Throughout the year, Pantone studies color-related trends and decides on the next Pantone Color of the Year on the first days of December, which is awaited with much anticipation all over the world.

Pantone considers all social aspects such as marketing, fashion, social media, politics, etc., to choose the leading hue of the year, which greatly influences branding and design.

With the announcement of the new Color of the Year, Pantone also provides a bunch of inspirational products and color pallets with the corresponding color.

By the way, Classic Blue was the color of 2020. One of the colors of the iPhone 12 that was introduced in October was Classic Blue. And a year earlier, Pantone announced Living Coral the Color of the Year, which became one of the most popular colors in the iPhone XR line.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that the iPhone 13 line will be released in gray and yellow versions, because it is quite obvious that Apple follows trends and pays attention to colors of the year chosen by Pantone.