Dec. 10, 2020 — The Pantone Color Institute has named its 2021 Color(s) of the Year: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (a vibrant, sunny yellow).

“In pairing together these two colors, we express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting,” says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “This conveys the idea, subliminally, that it’s not about one color or one person, it’s about more than one…This is a color combination that’s aspirational, a color story that energizes the spirit, one that gives us hope. We need to feel that everything is going to get better; this is so essential to the human spirit.”

Pressman highlights that Illuminating (Pantone 13-0647) represents insight, intuition, and innovation, and Ultimate Gray (Pantone 17-5104) conveys the messages of wisdom, experience, and intelligence. 

“Our values and priorities are all shifting,” says Pressman of the pairing, which comes about after a tumultuous year amid Covid-19. “We find ourselves going from quantity to quality, from fast life to slow life, from more to less, from local not global, and creativity versus efficiency.” 

The announcement of these two hues follows the 2020 Color of the Year, Classic Blue, which was highlighted alongside the Pantone Fall/Winter 2020/2021 color palette in the October 2020 issue of EB.