Pantone has chosen 2 colors of the year 2021

"The combination of timeless Ultra Grey with the vibrant yellow Illuminating conveys a message of positivity supported by courage. Practical and solid, yet warm and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit."
- LEATRICE EISEMAN, Executive Director, PANTONE COLOR INSTITUTE.

PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating

A marriage of colors conveying a message of strength and hope that is both enduring and uplifting.

The bright yellow shade, called Illuminating, is meant to evoke the "optimistic promise of a sun-filled day," while Ultimate Gray is a much more muted shade that speaks more of "balance, perseverance, and resilience."
Pantone says the color can almost be compared to durable natural elements, like pebbles on a beach weathered over time.

This isn't the first time Pantone's Color of the Year has come as a duo. Rose Quartz, a pale pink, and Serenity, a powder blue, were the choices for 2016.

Classic Blue was introduced as the 2020 color of the year. It was a "universally popular" shade that would inspire, instill calm, and confidence. But in retrospect, the color doesn't reflect a "highly anxious and confusing era," according to Michelle Ogundehin, an interior design expert.