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Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year Is … Classic Blue
It highlights the need for stability as we move into a new decade.
Classic Blue is a thoughtful, reflective color, encouraging stability, communication and embracing new points of view, Pantone said.
Carlstadt, N.J.—Pantone has announced its color of the year for 2020.
Classic Blue, reminiscent of the sky at dusk, marks the start of a new decade.
In a statement Pantone called the color reassuring, dependable and stable, symbolizing the qualities necessary for building a solid foundation in the 2020s.
“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith,” Pantone Color Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman said. “It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on.
“A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”
Pantone noted the peacefulness inherent in the cool blue shade, which is said to bring feelings of tranquility and restfulness, while also aiding in concentration and bringing clarity. 
The 180-degree change from 2019’s color of the year, Living Coral, is an antidote to the fast pace of our technologically dependent world, the color institute explained, “offering refuge” and encouraging resilience.
“The Pantone Color of the Year highlights the relationship between trends in color and what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time, a color that reflects what individuals feel they need that color can hope to answer,” Pantone Vice President Laurie Pressman said.
“As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions, designers and brands should feel inspired to use color to engage and connect.”
Emphasizing the holistic nature of color, Pantone is taking its color guidance beyond visual mediums for the first time.
In addition to providing both trend prediction and reflection for fashion and product design industries, Pantone is emphasizing a new multi-sensory color experience, collaborating with experts to interpret Classic Blue as a sound, taste, smell and feeling.
Fruits of the collaboration include a fabric, a scent, a collection of audio samples and even an upcoming immersive multi-sensory installation inspired by Classic Blue at New York City digital art space Artechouse.
“The Pantone Color of the Year highlights the relationship between trends in color and what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time, a color that reflects what individuals feel they need that color can hope to answer,” Pantone Vice President Laurie Pressman said.
“As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions, designers and brands should feel inspired to use color to engage and connect.”
Emphasizing the holistic nature of color, Pantone is taking its color guidance beyond visual mediums for the first time.
In addition to providing both trend prediction and reflection for fashion and product design industries, Pantone is emphasizing a new multi-sensory color experience, collaborating with experts to interpret Classic Blue as a sound, taste, smell and feeling.
Fruits of the collaboration include a fabric, a scent, a collection of audio samples and even an upcoming immersive multi-sensory installation inspired by Classic Blue at New York City digital art space Artechouse.
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