Pantone revealed the colour of the year 2019, and we are quite peachy!
Living coral!
Pantone began in New York City in the 1950s as the commercial printing company of M & J Levine Advertising. The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.
For the past 19 years the colour gods meet from various nations colour standard groups. Meetings are held secretly over two days, consisting of presentations and debates. The chosen color purportedly connects with the zeitgeist.
2019 search took them to the depths of the ocean.
Why?
“It’s good that you picked up on that,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color. Not only does this name designate one coral among several in PMS’ gigantic color naming system, “the Color of the Year (COTY) choice draws on symbolic meanings and is connected to the world at large, social issues, the pressing stuff in this day and age,” Eiseman explains. “Whenever coral appears under the sea, they feed and nourish fish. It’s imperative that we preserve our coral reefs as part of the ecosystem. So that certainly influenced our choice.”
I like the idea of emphasizing a color’s fragile connection to vitality. It implies, correctly in the case of coral, this color is literally the blush of the ocean’s health. Pollutants actually steal the roses from coral’s cheeks. Color’s beauty is tangled up in its momentary qualities, its now-ness. Especially in nature, it’s never constant or permanent.
Contrary to popular belief, Pressman clarifies that Pantone Color of the Year isn’t a trends forecast. “It’s a reflection of what’s taking place. It’s a color snapshot symbolic of what’s taking place in the culture at a moment in time,” she says. Pressman notes that the peachy shade appeared in fashion runways, furniture, home interiors, corporate branding, websites and even tech gadgets in 2018.
Although this is not necessary the colour trends of 2019.
It is a beautiful colour worth using in campaigns and signage.
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