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The Colour of 2020

This content is 4 years old and may not reflect reality today nor the author’s current opinion. Please keep its age in mind as you read it.

My choice of PANTONE’s Colour of the Year of 2020 for the site refresh is very deliberate, recognising our “New Normal” just around the corner.

Pantone’s selection was announced in December 2019 just prior to the advent of Coronavirus, with the ironic claim that “it’s a colour that anticipates what’s going to happen next”. In acknowledging some of the challenges society was already facing in the lead up to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pantone Color Institute looked forward while also reflecting on the past, when a lighter shade, Cerulean Blue, was selected two decades ago for the new millenium: “We were moving into Y2K and wondering: Is the world going to fall apart?”. What better colour for a focus on the future?

Classic Blue Colour of the Year 2020 montage

“A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser like clarity, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue re-centers our thoughts. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.

PANTONE Colour of the Year 2020 – Lee Eiseman quote

As technology continues to race ahead of the human ability to process it all, it is easy to understand why we gravitate to colors that are honest and offer the promise of protection. Non-aggressive and easily relatable, the trusted PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue lends itself to relaxed interaction. Associated with the return of another day, this universal favourite is comfortably embraced.”