The Pantone Color Institute has been the leader of color design and trends since 1963. This system has become the most important color matching system in the world for the design industry, paint, textile, plastic manufacturers, and so many more industries.
Originally, Pantone created a book that shows every tone and tint of every color and attached a specific number with the color. This greatly helped the printing industry of the time and has evolved over the years.
Now, every brand (like ours) anticipates the release of next year’s color of the year in December. We’re always excited about it, and here are some reasons why you should be too!
Marketing Trends are Influenced by Pantone
Every year, the Pantone Color Institute studies various different aspects of society to decide what next year’s color of the year is going to be. Typically, they look at social media, fashion, marketing, politics, the entertainment industry, and more. Whichever color is chosen, influences all these aspects of society for the next year.
This year’s color is Classic Blue (Pantone 19-4052). This dark blue color (that is reminiscent of the sky just after the sunsets) has been prominent throughout 2020. You may not have outwardly noticed this color throughout the year as it is not entirely beneficial for companies to change their own brand to fit the color of the year, although some will do it. However, the color has been prominent throughout the year with companies showcasing apparel and products featuring this color as well as using it in their social media posts.
This jump from numerous brands and businesses to use this color shows how influential Pantone is.
How do you use the Color of the Year?
An important aspect to remember about the color of the year is that it’s supposed to be used for the consumer. This means that you shouldn’t rebrand your business every year to incorporate this new color, but rather you should be using it to help design your products and curate your social media.
Some good ideas for using this color are:
- Running ads on social media with the color
- Designing clothing that incorporates the color
- Bake some pastries using icing or fillings that are the color
- Design social media graphics/templates with the color
- Creating promotional products that incorporate the color
- Suggesting interior design tips to clients that incorporate the color
For your company, you can use the color of the year in your products, designs, or social media. This will help you stay trendy with your consumers and show your marketing expertise.
Tools to Help you use the Color of the Year
As detailed above, you have numerous different ways to showcase the color of the year no matter what industry you specialize in. However, if you’re still lost, then don’t worry!
The Pantone Color Institute has different tools on its website to help you.
Palette Exploration
The palette exploration tool is a great way to see what other colors work well with the color of the year. This year’s color happens to be Classic Blue, so you’ll notice that the color works well with various kinds of greens, reds, and beiges.
This is a great tool because you’ll see what colors from your logo can work well with the color of the year. Pantone also added short descriptions of each of the palettes to give you an idea of how to use the palettes.
Design Tools
No matter what industry your business specializes in, there are ways to design your products using the Pantone Color of the Year.
On Pantone’s website, there are numerous different tools to help you use the color for clothing products, beauty products, home decor, graphic design, and packaging.
These tools can give you inspiration on how to use the color as well as pair ideas as well!
So What’s Next?
Pantone releases a new color every year that is great for all businesses. This is a great tool for your business to use because you can stay up to date on marketing trends.
Remember to always check back on Pantone’s website every December (or look it up on any social media site!) for next year’s color of the year. We believe that after a few years of pastel and neutral colors, the next few years are going to be a lot more bold and saturated!
J&R Marketing is a full-service branding and marketing company. Contact us today for tips on how to market your company using the Pantone Color of the Year.
