Color of the Year 2016: Tranquility and Mindfulness

Each year I eagerly await Pantone's revealing of their color of the year. At an unconscious level, the color seems to permeate the tone (bad pun intended) of designs in the upcoming year. In a surprise move, for 2016 they announced two colors: the blended shades of Rose Quartz and Serenity.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed.

With the color of the year, I love vision, big ideas, and a strong point of view to shape of the upcoming year. Instead it seemed that we were getting crowd-pleasers. 

Pantone emphasized the “as an antidote to modern day stresses” and fulfilling our needs for “reassurance and security.” Which sounds pleasant enough if not exactly inspiring. 

I did enjoy their note that the choice “challenges traditional perceptions of color association....coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity” though it seemed like an afterthought to console those of us yearning for a more deeply meaningful color. 

However, now as we hover on the edge of spring, the colors begin to look like the near twilight of a crisp evening sky and the gentle unfurling of new blossoms.

At the edge of winter, the colors thaw and inspire.

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