I think it’s high time for me to admit publicly to the world—I am a Pantone fan girl. Apart from the fact that I have Pinterest boards on Pinterest boards all containing different Pantone hues, I also have their color chips hung up in my room. This time last month, sitting somewhere in my parent’s dark closet was even the company’s box of 100 Pantone postcards that fell into my grasp on the morning of December 25th. I am obsessed to say the least. I mean, who else is attracted to beatifically aesthetic paint chips?
Even though the world’s favorite colors change every six months, (brown and sage anyone?), Pantone always has the perfect shades to fit my new personality and new IOS 14 layout. This love however is being tested by their 2021 picks for color of the year, a bright, jarring yellow called “Illuminating” and the dreary gray “Ultimate Gray”. These selections are supposed to set the stage for the new year, and it seems like in these unpredictable times, even Pantone is confused. Therefore they figured they might as well put happy, sunshine and sad, pavement colors on their roster, so all the bases are covered for how 2021 might turn out.
Even if the picks made sense to them, they don’t make sense to the internet. Deemed the “Pandemic Colors,” writers are using their imagination to portray their choice in a positive light, some comparing it to the duct tape banana fiasco that angered the internet and art community way back in 2019. Maybe it’s a stretch, but remembering the banana taped to a wall that sold for $120,000 certainly does remind me of simpler times. And who knows, hopefully “Illuminating” and “Ultimate Gray” will grow on me.
Headlight wishes you a Happy New Year!