Known internationally as the world’s foremost voice on all things color, Pantone’s Color of the Year program has been predicting and even directing color trends for 25 years – reflecting the cultural environment across multiple creative sectors that use the language of color and color psychology such as branding, marketing, fashion, and product design to name a few, as well as architecture and design.
But color trends aren’t just about what’s hot and what’s not. Color plays an important role in stimulating the senses, evoking memories or feelings based on past experiences and collective influences around the world. In the color psychology of retail design, for example, specific hues have been found to alter consumers’ comfort and energy levels, ultimately dictating shoppers’ preferences and behavior. In medical environments, combining a neutral base with calming accent colors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
Color psychology, however, is not an exact science. When used in simple, single-line statements, the ‘science’ part has often been simplified to such an extent that it’s rendered meaningless, even entering the realm of unhelpful pseudoscience, and can result in the demonization or typecasting of certain colors. By each year focusing on a new cultural color phenomenon, one of the original purposes of the Color of the Year program, as Pantone explains, is to ‘inspire people to look at color differently,’ opening up a new world of colorful opportunity.
Combined with personal preferences, a small dose of color psychology and, of course, inspiration from ArchDaily’s project archive, architects and designers can refer to the Pantone Colors of the Year to ensure they hit just the right tone, whether it's on-trend or not. Here’s a look back at some of the most recent colors of the year, along with project examples that use them.
2023 Pantone Color of the Year: Viva Magenta
A deep, rich red with hints of dark and mature pink, ‘Viva Magenta is brave and fearless,’ introduces Pantone of their choice for Color of the Year 2023. ‘A pulsing color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative,’ Viva Magenta became part of the trending movement of maximalism in 2023. The strong color choice was representative of a ‘verve for life and a rebellious spirit, full of audacity, wit and inclusivity.’
10 projects that use Pantone’s Color of the Year 2023 – Viva Magenta:
Ground Floor House – Serralves / oitoo
Sikbang Maru Pavilion / one-aftr
Gwang-ju View Folly / Moon Hoon
Açaípark / Dezembro Arquitetos
A6K Workspace / Traumnovelle
Delphi LUX, Cinema / Batek Architekten + Ester Bruzkus Architekten
Call Me MOSAIC Bookstore / TurtleHill
Crimson Sequence / Admin Studio
Miryang Pool Villa / Moon Hoon
Collective Housing in Baró Tower / MIAS Architects
2022 Pantone Color of the Year: Very Peri
In 2022, Pantone showed their Color of the Year selection wasn’t simply about pointing to a spot on the colorwheel. Without an existing shade they felt could suitably represent the current color culture, Very Peri was specifically created for the purpose. Named after Periwinkle, a shade somewhere between lavender and blue, the choice represented the transformative times in which it was selected. ‘Very Peri is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment. As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways’ explains Pantone.
10 projects that use Pantone’s Color of the Year 2022 – Very Peri:
Transsensorial Gateway / noa* network of architecture
House TEC 205 / Moneo Brock Studio
YU! Hotel / Alfredo De León Méndez
Mathematics: The Winton Gallery / Zaha Hadid Architects
The Year / Estudio Guto Requena
The Soundwave / penda
Northwestern Sailing Center / Woodhouse Tinucci Architects
Massy Logements / du Besset-Lyon Architectes
Ziggo Dome / Benthem Crouwel Architects
Purple Hill House / IROJE KHM Architects
2021 Pantone Color (combination) of the Year: Illuminating (yellow) and Ultimate Gray
At a time (late 2020) when the COVID-19 pandemic had broken apart the world, the combination of two colors for Pantone’s 2021 Color of the Year was ‘a marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting,’ recall Pantone. Choosing a color combination – of ‘bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity [and a] quietly assured Ultimate Gray encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness and resilience’ – for only the second time in the program’s history, the two colors highlight the best in each other when brought together.
10 projects that use Pantone’s Color(s) of the Year 2021 – Illuminating and Ultimate Gray:
Industria / Haworth Tompkins
Speising Fire Station / Illiz Architektur
Student Hotel / The Invisible Party
Tetuan Coliving / ch+qs arquitectos
Marília Fit Restaurant / David Guerra Arquitectura e Interior
Treves & Hyde / Grzywinski+Pons
Industrial Remodelation at Villaperez / Padilla Nicás Arquitectos
Ham on Wheels / External Reference Architects
Plataforma Zero KIOSK / A2OFFICE
Gymnastics Building / Heams & Michel Architects
2020 Pantone Color of the Year: Classic Blue
‘Suggestive of the sky at dusk,’ explains Pantone, of the 2020 Color of the Year, Classic Blue is filled with the peacefulness of an unending night sky. Associated with the setting of one day and the speculative emergence of another, Pantone describes the selection as ‘highlighting our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.’
10 projects that use Pantone’s Color of the Year 2020 – Classic Blue
ge(LUIF)el Pool Pavilion / Atelier Janda Vanderghote
Cloud Kindergarten of Luxelakes / TEKTONN ARCHITECTS
Aera Bakery / Gonzalez Haase Architects
Tricolor Trilogy Pavilions / People’s Architecture Office
Papyrus Flagship Store / WGNB
School René Beauverie / Dominique Coulon & associés
Nostos House / TANAT
Deepsea Coffee / Parallect Design
The Lighthouse Young People’s Centre / Associated Architects
Cachaça Museum / Jô Vasconcellos
2019 Pantone Color of the Year: Living Coral
Combining effervescent vibrancy with the authenticity of nature, Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year Living Coral is ‘an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens,’ introduces Pantone. The bright, enigmatic, and almost fluorescent mixture of pink, orange, and red was chosen in ‘reaction to the onslaught of digital technology in daily life. Seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy, the engaging nature of Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity, symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits.’
10 projects that use Pantone’s Color of the Year 2019 – Living Coral
Uncommon Store / Atelier Archi@Mosphere
Donut & Coffee Shop in Daejeon / KKOL Studio
XYTS Shop / WGNB
Jess Restaurant / Biancoebianca
KerryOn Living Room / Spark Architects
Bullguer Center / SuperLimão
Le Soufflet / NatureHumaine
Innovation Lab / AIM Architecture
4 Nurseries / Schemaa
University Library of the University of Amsterdam / Ira Koers + Roelof Mulder
Find out about Pantone’s latest Color of the Year 2024: Peach Fuzz
Find these colorful projects in this ArchDaily folder created by the author.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Year in Review, presented by Randers Tegl.
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