Pantone Reveals “Life Affirming” Color of the Year

Pantone, the self-proclaimed global color authority, has declared “Living Coral” the color of the year for 2019. The announcement was made Wednesday at Art Basel in Miami Beach.

“Color enhances and influences the way we experience life,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute said in a statement. “As a shade that affirms life through a dual role of energizing and nourishing, Pantone 16-1546 Living Coral reinforces how colors can embody our collective experience and reflect what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time.”

The New Jersey-based Pantone has chosen a new color each year since 2000. Photo: Pantone

Living Color takes the reigns from the 2018 color of the year, the much-discussed Ultra Violet.

New Jersey–based Pantone has chosen a new color each year since 2000, basing the decision on socioeconomic conditions, fashion trends, new technologies, as well as new trends in the realms of lifestyle, art, music, travel, and of course, social media. The color institute turned to nature for this year’s color, citing the energizing quality of naturally-occurring colors.

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“Representing the fusion of modern life, Pantone Living Coral is a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media,” the institute said.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, explained further, saying: “Color is an equalizing lens through which we experience our natural and digital realities and this is particularly true for Living Coral. With consumers craving human interaction and social connection, the humanizing and heartening qualities displayed by the convivial Pantone Living Coral hit a responsive chord.”

Since the announcement yesterday, the color, unlike its predecessor, received a favorable reaction online, with beauty experts, fashion forecasters and color enthusiasts alike praising the color.

“It’s the emotional nourishment.” Pressman said of the color. “It’s a big hug,”