For the first time since the start of the Pantone Color of the Year tradition, the corporation chose two colors together to form 2016’s color of the year.
Marsala’s “dramatic and at the same time grounding” hue is stepping down to give way to a “persuasive yet gentle tones” that bring “feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times.”
To embody what the company sees as a symbolic color snapshot in the events that take place in our culture, Pantone chose Rose Quartz (13-1520) and Serenity (15-3919).
In their company post, Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute stated that consumers are welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill their desire for reassurance and security.
[pullquote]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.[/pullquote]
(via Tollens G.Gardette)
Eiseman elso emphasized the traditional perception of color and the role it plays in the blurring of gender in fashion.
[pullquote]This more unilateral approach to color is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity, the consumer’s increased comfort with using color as a form of expression, a generation that has less concern about being typecast or judged and an open exchange of digital information that has opened our eyes to different approaches to color usage.[/pullquote]
The color selection gained mixed to negative reviews in the internet, however, citing the use of the two evokes “baby announcements.” I think Morticia Addams sums it all up.
What do you think of Pantone’s color selection? Comment below!