Pantone Announces Color of the Year, Multi-Sensory Component

Pantone's Color of the Year for 2020 is Classic Blue.

Pantone announced its Color of the Year for 2020, and is doing things a little differently this year. Before we get too deep into that, we can reveal that the official hue is Pantone 19-4502, Classic Blue.

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith," Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a press release. "It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on. Imbued with a deep resonance, Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking, challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”

Speaking of expanding our thinking, Pantone went beyond just choosing a color that encapsulates the general vibe of the times by creating a multi-sensory aspect to the Color of the Year to bring the hue and its connotations to life. This includes a sound, texture, taste and scent.

Via Pantone:

The sight of the Color of the Year 2020 Pantone 19-4502 Classic Blue: Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.

The sound of the Color of the Year 2020, in partnership with Audio UX: The sound of Classic Blue is nostalgic and takes us to a place that is comforting and familiar.

The texture of the Color of the Year 2020, in partnership with The Inside: The feel of the color fabric translates into a soft, velvety texture, further emphasizing the calming quality of the color, while eliciting feelings of empowerment to expand the mind and build foundation for the future.

The taste of the Color of the Year 2020, in partnership with Firmenich: The taste of the color is described as gentle and elegant, and explores the idea of maturing through ripening.

The scent of the Color of the Year 2020, also in partnership with Firmenich: the scent of the color elicits contemplation and a feeling of optimism for the future, with notes of blue water and sea salt lifted by airy sky.

“As we all head into a new era, we wanted to challenge ourselves to find inspiration from new sources that not only evolve our Color of the Year platform, but also help our global audiences achieve richer and more rewarding color experiences,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, said. “This desire, combined with the emotional properties of Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, motivated us to expand beyond the visual, to bring the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year to life through a multi-sensory experience.”

The Pantone Color Institute also included possible uses for packaging, food and drink, fashion and more. Owing to its bold look, feeling of dependability and ubiquity, it has a wide range of uses in all sorts of designs.

If the Color of the Year is a reliable outlook for the collective feeling of the coming year, it looks like we're all in for a cooldown, a calm year and a time to recollect ourselves and shake off some jitters from the last few years.