Weekend Color: Pantone's Color of the Year - Why It Is Important and Why It's Not

By now I'm sure you have heard about Pantone's color pick for 2011.

This is quite an energetic pink!

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Color is moving towards fresh, clean hues.

What exactly does that mean?

I discussed clean/dirty color here, if you'd like to read more about it.

I don't ever advise a client to fill their space with the latest and greatest color unless they truly LOVE it.

What happens next year?

If you are using this hue simply to be "on-trend" 

are you going to be satisfied when it no longer is the top color?

If you have created a fairly neutral shell, or you have used other clean colors that are roughly the same value, you can easily bring in vibrant pink accents.

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Domino

I think the we should look at the entire palette from Pantone

 to get a clearer sense of what is happening with color.

The silver cloud and silver peony are still holding the grey and blush front.

I wouldn't place Silver peony with any of these other colors 

because it simply is not saturated enough to hold it's own.

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Russet is signalling an influx of brown - we need something to balance out all this freshness.

In interiors that signals a return to brown woods, rather than all the grey tones we have been seeing.

Domino

The remaining seven hues are all similar in their intensity and clean tones.

You could place any of these in space together and they would work.

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Blue Curacao is a softer version of last years turquoise.

I love the regatta blue - it's time to bring blue back from the green side :) 

Honeysuckle, which looks so vibrant when examined alone, 

fits in to this group without stealing the show.

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Pantone's color choices give us a look toward the future,

they interpret our societies emotional climate and the colors reflect it.

It seems right now people are quite ready for a bit of light-hearted fun.

Honeysuckle - will you use it?

til next time..