2021 Colors of the Year and Trends

(PRESS RELEASE) Last month, Pantone announced its pick for 2021’s color of the year. Ultimate Gray paired with Illummante, a soft and inviting yellow. The two colors paired together symbolize strength, optimism and overall positivity after a year that was filled with challenges beyond expectation.

Ultimate Gray symbolizes the connection to strong materials found in nature. Rocks, pebbles and other stones help us to build structures with a solid foundation, which provides a place for mankind to seek shelter, find protection, and build a community. On the other hand, Illuminating yellow complements Ultimate Gray bringing in an added warmth to the space. This warmth helps to create a cheerful atmosphere meant to inspire creativity, bring joy and an overall feeling of hope. The main theme behind these “ultimate” and “illuminating” colors are to bring people together and feel renewed as we embark through the unpredicted events that will unfold later in the year.

Complementary to Pantone’s color of the year, PPG recently identified its colors of the year full of neutral tones. The three colors they chose, “Transcend”, “Big Cypress”, and “Misty Aqua” are meant to draw a bigger focus on the mind, body, and spirit of consumers by putting a stronger focus on embracing mindfulness, and intention. The neutral tones of their 2021 palette are meant to create a comfortable environment and reinforce the ideas of sharing compassion and optimism. Benjamin Moore chose “Aegean Teal” as their color of the year. Again, they too also hope to create a nourishing environment for the spirit with this comforting balanced mid-tone.

As we enter into 2021, shoppers can expect to see these colors appear in stores across the world, from products that line the shelves, to window display design, to retail store design itself. After a year filled with unexpected scenarios, creating comfort in an uncertain environment is just one thing these colors promise to bring consumers.

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