Pixels to Print: Pantone Color of the Year - Classic Blue

Before the start of every year, the Pantone Color Institute selects a Pantone Color of the Year based on forecasted color trends for the upcoming year. These top picks are meant to offer solutions to creating effective color strategies, whether it be in business, fashion design, interior design, or everyday color decisions. In the process of deciding a Color of the Year, the Pantone Color Institute searches the world looking for color influences in every aspect of life. It could be inspired from industries like fashion or entertainment, or even from things like lifestyles, sporting events, or popular travel destinations.

The Institute has recently named the Pantone Color of 2020 as "Classic Blue," which has so far proven to ignite some mixed feelings on the choice.

According to Pantone Color Institute, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is “a timeless and enduring blue hue that is reassuring and highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era”. The color is compared to the color of the sky at dusk, which is why it resonates with so many people. It is meant to induce feelings of tranquility, dependability, trustworthiness, credibility, and constancy during the start of a new decade and a time of changes, fears, and hopes.

Is “Classic Blue” too classic, though?? Some say yes, some say no. Is going with a classic color being too safe? Pantone claims that Classic Blue brings a feeling of peace during an anxious era, but is it leading us too much to escapism when we should be standing up for ourselves? While it may seem boring to some compared to previous Pantone Colors of the Year, such as Living Coral (2019), Radiant Orchid (2014), or Tangerine Tango (2012), there are many that would argue against these claims, agreeing with Pantone’s statement that the Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity.

What do you think? If you have a strong opinion on this as well, head over to our Instagram page @northpointprinting and let us know!! Join us in this ongoing debate on Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year for a chance to be entered to win one of our Think Green Hot Boxes, featuring a variety of the trendiest eco-friendly products for you to be able to be part of the world’s ongoing push for sustainability!