It's hard to know whether Pantone's 2020 color of the year, Classic Blue, resonated in a year of unprecedented challenges and societal upheaval. But the company's 2021 picks, 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and 13-0647 Illuminating, which "highlight how different elements come together to support one another," appear to resonate with the challenging but resurgent year to come.
Pantone describes the colors as "rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic," radiating "strength and positivity." They also evoke happiness, aspiration and fortitude, per the company.
The dual pick mimics the influential selections for 2016, Serenity and Rose Quartz, which evoked the gender-fluid design trends that soon followed.
Previously: Pantone's 2019 Color of the Year
