The new year brings so much to look forward to, and if you’re design nerds like us, the Pantone Color of the Year announcement nears the top of that list. This year, our reaction was about as dull as the color in question: Classic Blue. PANTONE 19-4052 is meant to “instill calm, confidence, and connection as we cross the threshold into a new era.” To be quite honest, we were hoping to bust down the door to the new decade with a bit more gusto than Classic Blue has to offer. While we tend to be quite the opinionated folk, we can’t imagine we’re alone on this one. ?

If you’re unfamiliar with what exactly the Pantone Color of the Year is and the intricacies behind bestowing such a pristine title to just one mere color annually, allow us to explain. Pantone, the world’s authority on color, conducts an analysis on color trends and develops insights to determine which color we can expect to make a big statement in the year ahead, AKA the Color of the Year (COTY). You might be wondering, “who gives a ??” and this boils down to a few key industries, such as fashion, interior design, and graphic design.

So, what does the Pantone Color of the Year mean to us at Boldist? Not a whole lot as it relates to our client work. We are problem solvers first and foremost and we’ll use whatever colors call for the best solution in our design challenges. However, as good designers do, we keep our ear to the ground for what’s hot and what’s not. Do we always agree with it? Questionable. While one part of the formula to being a well-rounded designer is keeping up with the trends, sometimes you also need to think outside of the box. Don’t get us wrong, we have a big appreciation for all things classic (classical music, classic rock, classic cars), but Classic Blue isn’t exactly the picture we painted for 2020.