Pantone names 2021 colours of the year

The Pantone colour system has announced that its colours of the year for 2021 are “Ultimate Grey” and “Illuminating”, which is a shade of yellow.

Pantone colour recommendations influence graphic artists, fashion designers, interior designers and floor covering manufacturers. They are predictions of the colours that will be popular with consumers in the year ahead.

There has been some criticism about the colour choices for 2021, with some likening Illuminating to the colour used for hi-vis vests. Fashion magazine Vogue described the choice as “really weird.” Other have said the combination of the two colours resembles a mixture of cement and cold sunshine.

Pantone compared Ultimate Grey to natural elements like pebbles on a beach. It has described Illuminating as bright and cheerful, expressing reassurance and hope.

Normally, Pantone chooses one colour for its colour of the year, but for 2021, it selected two. The trend forecasters at Pantone said that one colour was not enough to express everything about the times we live in. Instead, they wanted two independent shades that work well together.

The colour trend forecast for 2020 was Classic Blue, which was chosen before the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered. The choice was not, therefore, influenced by Classic Blue’s resemblance to the colour of medical scrubs worn by doctors treating COVID-19 patients.

If Pantone’s colours prove popular, flooring services in North Wales will likely offer carpets in shades of grey and yellow. Many homes and commercial property owners are not influenced by colour trends, however, preferring carpets that feature their personal favourite colours.