Where Will We See Pantone’s ‘Color of the Year’ in 2024?

Move over, “Viva Magenta!” Pantone chose a lighter, subdued shade for 2024’s Color of the Year: Peach Fuzz. 

Pantone is encouraging us to “embrace the warmth” this year, choosing a hue that “echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection,” according to Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman. 

The Color of the Year is meant to evoke and manifest the energy of the upcoming year. Let’s take a look at the past five years to see the significance of Pantone’s choices.

Pantone created the “Color of the Year” in 1999, hoping to inspire designers and “color enthusiasts” to talk more about color and its cultural power. They chose colors throughout the early 2000s, from bold choices like 2009’s “Mimosa” to relaxed options like 2006’s “Sand Dollar.” The colors often reflected the successes and turmoils of the past year, setting goals and manifestations for the future. “Mimosa,” for example, was a representation of optimism and reassurance, acknowledging the 2008 Great Recession and the financial uncertainty that came along with it. 

We’re in one of the most confusing periods of the 21st century, between the Covid-19 pandemic and ever-changing innovation in technology. Over the last five years Pantone chose Colors of the Year to reflect this.

2023 welcomed people to the “Magentaverse.” This color inspired the world to be bold, brave, and fearless, channeling optimism and writing a new narrative. “Magentaverse,” of course, plays on “Metaverse,” understanding new advances in technology were bound to show themselves in 2023. 

Viva magenta made its impact on the year, with products like Drew Barrymore’s electric kettle, a smartphone from Motorola, and this Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb perfume being released in the signature bold color.

Pantone identified “Very Peri” as “a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through.” In 2022, we emerged from the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, adjusting to new digital and physical systems that arose over the past years. Blending blue and red hues like the fusion of the digital and physical world through the metaverse, periwinkle-inspired joy, creativity, and imagination.

Very Peri easily became one of the most trending colors of 2022, with several companies creating products to match. The Cania Performance Periwinkle Rug, Nailberry Bluebell Nail Polish, and Byredo Multi-Use Color Stick were just a few of the top products for the year that used the creative color. 

Pantone announced two Colors of the Year for 2021, one a neutral gray, and the other a bright yellow. Both colors are extremely independent, yet together “highlight how different elements come together to support one another.” This concept was a necessity for the start of 2021, the combination of colors giving hope when people needed to feel that everything would get brighter. Ultimate Gray was the steadiness and resilience, while Illuminating was bright and cheerful, sparkling with vivacity, representing the importance of striving for new dreams while remaining grounded.

Lovers of these colors found their perfect products in a Wall Clock from Design Minds Boutique, a Hot Mesh Stool from Blu Dot, and a Vitruvi Stone Porcelain Diffuser, combining the optimism of yellow with the stability of gray.

We all know that 2020 didn’t happen exactly the way we expected. At the dawn of the new decade, everyone was curious about the energy to come. Pantone chose Classic Blue as 2020’s color of the year, “instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.” 2020 was the start of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, causing a time of uncertainty, stress, and isolation. We needed each other more than ever to bring peace, tranquility, and resilience to the world, like Classic Blue.

Between a blue Bardi’s Bowl Chair, a handmade mosaic from New Ravenna, and a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, fans of 2020’s Color of the Year got their fair share of Classic Blue.  

Pantone chose Living Coral as 2019’s Color of the Year, a vibrant, yet calming color that provides comfort in an ever-changing environment. This choice was “in reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life, we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy.” It’s a bright, energizing color found in nature, showing lightheartedness, optimism, and playfulness. 

Coral was all-the-rage in 2019, and consumers loved its presence in the Google Home Mini, the iPhone XR, and a Moro Handcrafted Pouf.

Although it’s impossible to predict the future, Pantone has a way of instilling a mood for the year based on the color they choose. So, what does Peach Fuzz mean for 2024?

The main adjective Pantone associated with Peach Fuzz is “warmth,” and this is reflected in their partnerships with various brands. 

TEALEAVES created a tea blend to match both the color and feel of Peach Fuzz. A harmony of botanicals and sweet peach, it offers “a vessel of connection for all to enjoy.” The tea physically warms the body and, metaphorically, the soul, capturing comfort in a cup.

Dr. BEST partners with Pantone to bring warmth and comfort to an everyday activity: brushing your teeth. The goal of Peach Fuzz is to make you feel cozy even in the most tedious or repetitive tasks, so why not include your toothbrush?

Say cheese…or peach? Pantone worked with Polaroid to create a limited-edition Peach Fuzz pack of film, inspiring users to frame their happiest memories within the color. Pantone says this will help photographers “incorporate colorful feelings of togetherness and comfort into their craft.”

We expect Peach Fuzz to make its way into more product launches and rebrands, from makeup and clothing lines to menus and comfort food brands. And, we’re manifesting 2024 to be the year of warmth, comfort, and stability; the year of Peach Fuzz!