Pantone unveil the Colour of the Year 2021: Ultimate grey and Illuminating

The 2021 Pantone Colour of the Year has been announced … or should we say colours? In a departure from previous years, Pantone has released not one, but two colours to ring in the New Year, namely ‘Ultimate Grey’ and ‘Illuminating’, a bright, acidic shade of yellow.

It's not uncommon for Pantone's Colour of the Year to explode in popularity (remember millennial pink?) so get ready to start seeing this colourway everywhere from now on!

Executive director of The Pantone Colour Institute, Leatrice Eiseman describes the combination of grey and yellow as “a message of positivity supported by fortitude,” adding, “this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope.”

Pantone’s message of building hope upon a strong foundation comes at a time when many of us are preparing to wave an enthusiastic goodbye to the year that was 2020. And while hopes of a fresh start in 2021 are rising, there is still a sense of trepidation about what might be in store for us in the new year.

Getty

In hindsight, Pantone’s selection of ‘Classic Blue’ as the 2020 Pantone Colour of the Year, was strangely appropriate.

The calming shade was chosen to reflect reliability, comfort and evoke a feeling of familiarity and sure enough, in 2020, many Australians turned to comforting, reliable and familiar DIY projects like baking bread, making pottery, jigsaw puzzles and gardening to stay preoccupied during lockdown.

our_family_at_tulip_house View Profile

What is the Pantone Colour of the Year?

Since the year 2000, Pantone, the international authority on colour has released an annual ‘Colour of the Year.’ The colour is selected by a top-secret group of representatives from around the globe who discuss a colour that best represents the upcoming year.

In 2016, Pantone named ‘Rose Quartz’ as the Colour of the Year which became so popular it was eventually nicknamed ‘Millennial Pink.’

The team at Pantone hope that the marriage of ‘Ultimate Grey’ and ‘Illuminating’ will convey a message of “strength, and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.” Here are some helpful tips for styling yellow in your home and 7 yellow and grey homewares that may help you channel a hopeful outlook heading into 2021.