Pantone’s New Colour of the Year: Living Coral

Dec 20, 2018Design

Pantone’s Colour of the year 2019 is Living Coral!

As most of you in the design world knows, Pantone announced their colour of the year 2019 earlier this month – a vibrant, yet mellow hue called Living Coral, or PANTONE 16-1546.

“Representing the fusion of modern life, PANTONE Living Coral is a nurturing colour that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media,” a statement from Pantone explains.

The meaning behind the Pantone

This fresh and fun colour isn’t only here to breathe life into your designs and marketing content; it is also a reminder of the effects global warming is having on our eco system – with reefs in particular.

“While the colour is a poignant reminder of the damage inflicted by global warming on the Great Barrier Reef – earlier this year, scientists reported that 30% of the reef’s coral was bleached and died during a “catastrophic” nine-month marine heatwave in 2016 – Living Coral is a spirited, energizing shade,” describes Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute in an interview with Refinery29.

“Even though there is a seriousness – the nurturing aspect of preserving our ocean coral reefs – at the same time there is that element of playfulness that is attached to the colour,” she explains. “Coral is a colour of beauty and a colour that humans are so attracted to. Think, most importantly, of the sunset. It conjures up a picture of some beautiful tropical place, some place you would love to be on a vacation.”