Illuminating and Ultimate Grey are Colours of the Year for 2021

For 2021, two colours – Ultimate Grey and Illuminating – have been selected as the Pantone Colour of the Year. This practical colour combination that was chosen for its ability to help us feel optimistic and uplifted while reflecting what is taking place in our global culture and inviting us to embrace the value of our differences. This year’s selection provides a stark contrast from last year’s Colour of the Year, Classic Blue, a reflective blue tone evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky.

As the global colour authority and provider of professional color language standards, the colour experts at the Pantone Colour Institute comb the world looking for new colour influences in order to select a new colour each year. Pantone chose Illuminating as its 2021 Colour of the Year first, only months later deciding to add a second hue, with the intention of them being seen and interpreted as a pair.

What difference do these colour declarations make? Plenty, because they are the colours you can expect to see well-represented in 2021 across a wide range of products, from fashion to beauty to home décour and even floral design!

Hope and optimism for the new year

By choosing bright and soothing colours that take inspiration from natural elements, the biggest color trends of 2021 are taking a cue from this last tumultuous year and giving people a renewed sense of hope and optimism that many are looking for in the new year.

This year’s spirited and emboldening shades satisfy our quest for vitality. Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow shade filled with vivacity while Ultimate Gray is emblematic of solid and dependable elements which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation of composure, steadiness, and resilience.

Two colours are better than one

A marriage of strength and optimism, Ultimate Grey and Illuminating are two independent colours that come together to create an aspirational colour pairing, conjoining deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic message of sunshine and strength.

But the two colours do not have to be used in equal proportions, as either colour can take precedence in design with both synchronously representing stability, hope, and unity.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, explained: “The selection of two independent colours highlight how different elements come together to express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting, conveying the idea that it’s not about one colour or one person, it’s about more than one. The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock-solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a colour combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit.”

Pantone puts a tremendous amount of thoughtful consideration into choosing their Colour(s)of the Year. They arrive at their decision by pouring over trend analysis and combing the globe in search of new colour influences. Their decision is ultimately based on several different factors, but the end result is typically a good indication of the state of global and political climate and the emotions that many people are feeling at the time – if that feeling can be described as a colour.

This year’s selection is all about optimism and the hope that many people can use to start 2021 on the right note, but that does not mean it has to represent your year. A fresh new year means a fresh new start and now is the perfect time to begin writing your own story – and choosing your own colour - that will define your world in 2021.

Do not miss out on the hottest new colour trends for 2021: Illuminating and Ultimate Grey! Canadiana Flowers has many beautiful floral designs featuring this intriguing colour combo. We offer same-day delivery in Toronto and surrounding areas for birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, get well soon, sympathy, or even just because. Call us today at (416) 265-6867 or shop online 24/7.