2021 Colors of the year

Color selection is SO important. The right color palette will show off your brand’s personality and, believe it or not, can have a huge impact on whether or not someone will commit to a purchase.

As designers, we can’t resist taking a peek at Pantone’s color of the year for 2021. This year, Pantone announced two colors — Ultimate Gray (17-5104 TCX) and Illuminating (13-0647 TCX) — as the colors of the year. Pantone selected these shades for 2021 “for their warmth and dependability”, and for obvious reasons, we are totally on board with their choice.

Typically in branding, gray represents neutrality and balance, while yellow brings feelings of joy and happiness. A gray and yellow color palette is great for targeting a younger demographic (think Snapchat!) or a brand that desires feelings of cheerfulness. Who couldn’t use a little cheering up right about now?

Looking at Pantone’s colors of the year, and other color trend forecasts, gives us a sneak peek of what’s to come and ultimately serves as a marketing tool that helps every industry choose designs in the upcoming year. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should change your brand colors every time a new trend surfaces! But, when you have a clear understanding of the color trends, it can help you predict the color landscape your brand will live in, so it can compliment or stand out as appropriate. Plus, while we’re always serving up timeless designs, we do want to consider how the market is going to react to our designs for your brand based on the current color trends.

Are you in need of a brand refresh? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel and start over for your brand to feel fresh and current. If you want to find out how we can help you, book a consultation!