By now, you’ve probably heard that Pantone, the global
authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design
industries, announced on Dec. 8, PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery as the Pantone Color
of the Year selection for 2017. This hue simply couldn’t be more in tune with
the world around us. It’s a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the
first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew.
Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the
fortifying attributes of Greenery signals individuals to take a deep breath,
oxygenate and reinvigorate.
“While Serenity and Rose Quartz, the Pantone Color of the
Year 2016, expressed the need for harmony in a chaotic world,” said Leatrice
Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Greenery bursts
forth in 2017 to provide us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a
complex social and political landscape. Satisfying our growing desire to
rejuvenate, revitalize and unite, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek
with nature, one another and a larger purpose.”
While often associated with environmentalism and nature,
Greenery is also a unifying thread in tech and innovation because of its
association with boldness, vigor and modernity. Many new apps, animation
iconography and digital-first start-ups express this energy by using the
riveting and attention-getting shade of green in their logos. Conveying
progression and a pioneering spirit, Greenery portrays an entrepreneurial
essence that aligns with the industries that have embraced it. But, how can we
integrate this color into our everyday lives?
Greenery for Beauty: In the
ultimate personal display of boldness and vitality, Greenery is deployed as a
chic, confident punch of color for hair, lips, eyes and nails. It is also a
camouflaging base for natural beauty looks, with green makeup rooted in
color-correcting trends. A complementary color to red shades, Greenery plays
down ruddiness in the skin. Stay tuned … we will have plenty of product
recommendation to help you work Greenery into your beauty routine.
Greenery for Fashion: Greenery is nature’s neutral. A
great harmonizer merging undertones of cool blues with vibrant yellows, the hue
is a natural complement to a wide range of palettes. Like the spectrum of
possibilities in colorful petals and blooms paired with lush green leaves,
plants and trees, Greenery provides a pop of color in accessories and footwear,
or acts as a bold accent in a pattern.
Prominent in fashion for men and women, as seen in the recent
collections of Kenzo, Michael Kors, Zac Posen and Cynthia Rowley, Greenery has
also been shown in a variety of solids and prints in children’s wear. Greenery
blends fashion and tech as well, as a prominent color for wearables and active
wear.
Greenery for Home Decor and
Architecture: Open spaces in interior and exterior design and floor-to-ceiling
windows allow the green outdoors to become part of a room’s backdrop and ambiance.
Adding Greenery through living walls, terrariums, botanically themed wallpaper,
paint, accent furniture and decor provides respite and breathing space. A
Greenery-painted wall or piece of furniture delivers a pop of color, with the
added benefit of creating the illusion of nature indoors. Bringing the outside
in, the shade - like the plant life it represents - can improve self-esteem,
reduce anxiety and heighten awareness of one’s surroundings.
About the PANTONE Color of the Year: The Color of the Year
selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To
arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone
Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can
include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art
collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel
destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles and socio-economic
conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures
and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even
up-coming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 17 years,
Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing
decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings and
industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design.
Past selections for Color of the
Year include:
- PANTONE 15-3919 Serenity and PANTONE 13-1520 Rose Quartz
(2016)
- PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala (2015)
- PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
- PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
- PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
- PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
- PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)
- PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa (2009)
- PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris (2008)
- PANTONE 19-1557 Chili Pepper (2007)
- PANTONE 13-1106 Sand Dollar (2006)
- PANTONE 15-5217 Blue Turquoise (2005)
- PANTONE 17-1456 Tigerlily (2004)
- PANTONE 14-4811 Aqua Sky (2003)
- PANTONE 19-1664 True Red (2002)
- PANTONE 17-2031 Fuchsia Rose (2001)
- PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean Blue (2000)
The color selected as our Pantone
Color of the Year 2017 was taken from the PANTONE Fashion, Home + Interiors
Color System, the most widely used and recognized cooler standards system for
fashion, textile, home and interior design. In this spirit of reconnection,
exploration and belonging, Pantone has partnered with Airbnb - a community
marketplace that provides access to unique accommodations and experiences
around the globe - to bring Greenery to life through an experience in early
2017. The collaboration, a first of its
kind, was inspired by Pantone’s vision for Greenery and Airbnb’s community that
connects travelers to magical experiences.
