This month, Pantone announced its 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz 13-1023. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, said, “In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.”
What struck me this year was how much Pantone described their pick in terms of texture as much as color. When they announced Peach Fuzz, they described it as “soft futurism” and “cocooned warmth.” During a time of turbulence in the world, they wanted a color that symbolized compassion and self-care.
Each year, in addition to Pantone, I also see what popular paint companies are choosing for their Color of the Year picks. Looking at all the colors, there is a clear theme of calm. Each company looked at current events and wanted to offer a peaceful antidote rooted in nature. The colors from the eight paint companies I compared were all grounded in the sea, sky, and land. They serve as a balance between warm and cool and inspire a sense of equilibrium. For example, Valspar’s choice, Renew Blue, was inspired by the urge “to create a sense of less stress, less information, less technology, fewer choices, simplicity.”
Another common thread was travel and, with that, a mix of excitement and nostalgia. 2023 saw record numbers of people traveling again after the last few years at home. Many of the colors tapped into this sense of adventure. Benjamin Moore described their pick, Blue Nova, as trying to capture “moments that span beyond routine.” Dunn-Edwards’ pick, Skipping Stones, wanted to inspire a “dreamy nostalgia blended with a future of unlimited possibilities.”
Here’s a quick rundown of the 2024 Colors of the Year and what the companies said about them. And since I always have to get in on the fun, I included my pick for Design Pool.
Pantone: Peach Fuzz
“A cozy and comforting hue nurturing compassion and heartfelt kindness.”
Benjamin Moore: Blue Nova
“This alluring mid-tone features an enchanting duality, capturing the spotlight with endlessly classic appeal.”
Behr: Cracked Pepper
“A versatile soft black that accentuates the spaces you create life moments in.”
Dunn-Edwards: Skipping Stones
“A serene and steely blue with hints of green and gray. Meditative and energizing like the sea.”
Dutch Boy: Ironside
“A deep, comforting green is a richly dimensional hue that soothes and reassures.”
PPG: Limitless
“A warm honey beige hue” that “reflects evolving consumer preference for softer, lighter shades in everything from automobiles to architectural elements.”
Sherwin-Williams: Upward
“A breezy and blissful blue … a shade to inspire positive energy, creative thinking and contentment.”
Graham and Brown: Viridris
“A fresh green that creates “a warm and welcoming space, offering a calming atmosphere for its guests … the perfect embodiment of the fertile green hills around us.”
Valspar: Renew Blue
“A nourishing, green-influenced blue that creates a sense of peace wherever you place it.”
Design Pool: Energizing Orange & Balance Blue
These two colors evoke energy and optimism with orange while grounding that energy with its complement, blue, for balance.
Author: Wide Format Impressions
