Pantone Color Institute has announced that its 2020 Colour of the Year is PANTONE Classic Blue.

Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue highlights the desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

As Pantone says:

A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, it brings a sense of peace and tranquillity to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser like clarity, PANTONE Classic Blue re-centres our thoughts. A reflective blue tone that fosters resilience.

For over 20 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.

The Pantone Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s colour 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 upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention.

Pantone has been naming the colour of the year for 20 years, here are some previous colours of the year.