Pantone: How they choose Colour of the Year

Global colour authority Pantone has chosen a ‘Colour of the Year’ since 2000, when it opted for ‘Cerulean Blue,’ a serene colour for the millennium, and since then it has selected pink, red, orange, green, purple, blue, yellow, grey, and brown hues, and this year sees the very first white, ‘Cloud Dancer’.

What started out as an educational programme to engage the design community and colour enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around colour has turned into an annual in-depth trend forecasting event, which takes into consideration socio-economic conditions, lifestyle, and political influences, such as fashion, entertainment, and travel destinations.

For 2026, Pantone has selected an ethereal hue, ‘Cloud Dancer,’ which aims to serve as a symbol of calm “in a frenetic society rediscovering the value of measured consideration and quiet reflection,” offering a “blank canvas” to inspire a fresh start, while quieting the mind to encourage "true relaxation”.

“In a world where colour has become synonymous with personal expression, Cloud Dancer is a shade that can adapt, harmonise and create contrast, bringing a feeling of airy lightness to all product applications and environments, whether a stand-alone statement or combined with other hues,” adds Pantone.

To find out more about how Pantone decides on its Colour of the Year, how ‘Cloud Dancer’ differs from last year’s warm, brown hue ‘Mocha Mousse’, and the importance of colour, FashionUnited spoke to Jane Boddy, creative director of Pantone Color Institute.

How does Pantone go about choosing ‘Colour of the Year’?

Choosing the Pantone Colour of the Year is never something we just pull out of thin air. It comes from months of trend-watching and cultural research that our global team at the Pantone Color Institute does throughout the year. The same thinking that leads us to that one colour also shapes the palettes we build for our trend-forecasting tools.

We’re constantly scanning what’s happening around us, everything from movies in development and big moments in entertainment, to traveling exhibitions, emerging artists, and what we’re seeing in fashion and design. We look at shifts in lifestyle and leisure, the places people dream of visiting, and the broader social and economic mood. We even track new tech, materials, textures, digital conversations, and those major global sporting events that tend to capture everyone’s attention.

All of that feeds into understanding where the world is heading, and ultimately, which colour feels right for the moment.

How would you describe this year’s colour ‘Cloud Dancer’?

Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a soft, airy white with a gentle warmth that softens its appearance. It feels light and open, like breathable clarity, avoiding the harshness or glare of a cooler, more clinical white.

Instead, it carries a natural, human softness that makes it calming and easy on the eye. Its surface reads as quietly luminous rather than bright, offering a subtle radiance that feels serene and effortless.

Cloud Dancer creates the impression of space and stillness, like a blank page washed in diffused daylight, giving objects and environments a sense of purity, comfort, and understated refinement.

The 2025 ‘Colour of the Year,’ Mocha Mouse was a warming, brown hue. How does ‘Cloud Dancer’ compare?

Even though the two colours appear quite different, they share a surprising amount of common ground. Both are grounding, comforting, and highly versatile, effortlessly crossing into all areas of design. Just as importantly, they speak to a cultural desire for pause, reflection, and a softer, more intentional way of moving through the world.

Pantone 17-1320 Mocha Mousse brings quiet confidence and understated elegance. Its simplicity reads as sophisticated, and its soft, sensorial warmth offers calm amid our fast-moving, digitally driven lives. It subtly elevates everyday moments, bridging technology and human emotion so even routine interactions feel more thoughtful and premium.

Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer carries these values as well. Its airy openness creates clarity and spaciousness, almost like a visual exhale. Like Mocha Mousse, it encourages balance, gentleness, and a return to essentials. Together, they express a shared longing for grounding comfort and a more mindful pace, each contributing its own dimension to that emotional landscape.

What kind of colours will work well with ‘Cloud Dancer’?

What makes this colour truly special is its versatility. Cloud Dancer can stand confidently on its own as a clear, singular statement. As a modern white, it aligns with today’s softer approach to minimalism, offering a mood that feels calm, sensual, and gently grounding. Yet it also performs beautifully as a supportive framework for other colours.

Paired with bright tones, it adds a crisp clarity that sharpens and lifts their energy, making vivid hues feel even more dynamic. With softened tones, pastels, and quiet neutrals, Cloud Dancer settles into the background with ease, giving subtle colours the space to breathe.

It can ground, amplify, sharpen, or diffuse depending on the moment. This ability to adapt while retaining its gentle warmth makes Cloud Dancer especially relevant for the year ahead — a colour that shifts with intention and always supports the atmosphere around it.

How do you see brands and retailers utilising this year’s colour?

One of the key ideas behind Pantone Colour of the Year 2026 is its role as a blank canvas, a shade that opens up space for imagination and creativity to lead. Brands can tap into this by embracing both the colour and its narrative within their products, experiences, and environments.

The story behind the shade is just as important as the hue itself, offering a powerful framework that can spark new ideas, refresh existing lines, or shape the atmosphere of a space. In this way, Cloud Dancer becomes more than a colour. It becomes a storytelling tool, a catalyst for possibility and creative direction.

How does Pantone stay ahead in a fast-moving creative landscape?

We’re fortunate to have such a large and diverse global team, made up of people with different backgrounds and deep experience across the design industries. That diversity means everyone brings a fresh point of view. As a team, we’re united by our curiosity about the world, culture, and innovation. It’s something that comes naturally to us, and it keeps us constantly tuned in to what’s happening around us.

With that mindset, we’re able to spot shifts early and get a sense of what’s coming next.

Why is colour so important for brands?

Colour sits at the heart of every design decision. We have an emotional reaction to a product or an image before we even realise it, and that response is almost always driven by colour. It can define the entire attitude or personality of a brand. Every shade carries its own story, one that is deeply connected to colour psychology.

Throughout my years in design, I’ve seen this become increasingly important. Right now, colour is one of the most influential aspects of any design-led choice, shaping how we feel, how we connect, and how we understand the world around us.

How did you get into colour forecasting?

I originally started out as a fashion designer, working with well-known brands and developing the stories and palettes for their collections. That was the part of the job that excited me most, and it made me realise that colour could be a career in its own right. So, I decided to steer my path in that direction.

I eventually became head of colour at WGSN, one of the world’s leading forecasting agencies. The natural next step for me was to join the world’s most iconic colour company. What I love about Pantone is its reach. Pantone Colour of the Year is something everyone can engage with, not just the design industry. People genuinely get excited about it, and it creates a real buzz. It brings everyone in. It’s inclusive, engaging, and instantly recognisable, and I meet very few people who don’t know who Pantone is.

What does colour mean to you?

Well, it’s an obsession. It always has been. I love colour. It makes me feel good, and every time I work on a project, I get so much energy from it. It’s my natural place.

Which of the previous Colour of the Year hues has been your favourite and why?

I think it’s hard to choose a favourite from past years because I always fall in love with the new one. Especially this year’s, because it really digs into how people are feeling, and for me, the narrative behind a colour is just as important as the colour itself.

I loved Peach Fuzz because it felt so warm and friendly, and Mocha Mousse was such a beautiful shade of brown with that subtle pinkness.