It’s that time of the year! We don’t mean the holidays (although that’s cool too) but we are talking about the moment for all of us designers to discover the color that's going to dominate half of our world in 2024. We are just as excited to find out what the new colour is. Pull your Pantone guide out and take a wild guess on which one it is.
Behind the scene
First off, let’s put context into this designer tradition. It’s both a powerful marketing move and a genuine one. It started with our color Guru: Pantone. It’s pretty established by now that Pantone is THE reference in terms of color. They have a bunch of experts who are color passionate, spending sometimes years researching new color palettes and color hues. Their inventory of colors has been ever growing since its creation. We know Pantone doesn’t take color lightly; we can trust their judgment.
When it comes to the color of the year, the genius idea first started at the turn of the millennium, in 1999, where they named the first color of the year for 2000 (the color was Cerulean, by the way). The idea behind it is a lovely one. Since color is a language, Pantone aimed to start a conversation and unify people through it. Color is a universal language, one that can be understood around the world. We can disagree on so many things but Pantone created a space for us to all come together through a single hue.
The selection is never taken lightly. The yearly choice of the hue is not based on aesthetic and personal opinion but is meant to represent what we are going through collectively and find a color that matches where our world is going. Color experts from around the world spend a long time analyzing influence from the tech world, science, art, politics, architecture and every major theme you can think about. They agree on what are the major players in our life and what they think will define the next year. Then, through a long process they examine and pick a color that will express what is going on collectively and what is unique about the year. There is something beautiful in being able to go back and identify the major theme of these past years through looking all the shades.
Peach Fuzz
We have seen some heartbreaking conflicts in the past years, and it is time to come together again to be compassionate. The Color of the Year 2024, officially announced on December 7th, comes in to remind us of just that. Peach fuzz is a warm, radiant, neutral hue offering a sense of peace and calm in the chaos. This gentle color represents our longing for unity, creating spaces for healing and refuge. As we are collectively going through tough times, Peach Fuzz reminds us to prioritize empathy, warmth, and to open a new perspective for the future; one where we foster connections. In essence, Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz tell us to focus on self-care, prioritize our physical and mental health, while embracing community, and find comfort in togetherness.
We appreciate that Pantone is offering us something we need. The main goal behind the Color of the Year is made to offer all of us, at least one thing we have in common and agree upon.
That thing is color.
We hope that the year 2024 can be centered around what this color represents and that we will see compassion, resolution, peace, and kindness rise around us!
References: