(Courtesy Pantone)
Every year the Pantone Color Institute chooses the color of the year. They look at recent world events and trends to pick a color that is representative of what people want or need.
The institute, which is considered one of the leading authorities on color, according to a press release, has been choosing the color of the year since 1999. Now, the institute has chosen a color for 2026 and that color is surprisingly white. But not a bright or stark shade, the institute chose Cloud Dancer.
The institute described the shade – PANTONE 11-4201 –as “a billowy, balanced white imbued with a feeling of serenity.” The color represents a calming influence, a desire for a fresh start, and to step away from pressure and demands by stepping inward.
How Does Pantone Choose a Color?
The color of the year is chosen by a team of researchers from around the world who provide color consulting and forecast market trends, reported CNN. For the team of experts, everything that is happening in the world is filtered through the lens of color.
To pick the perfect color, they review the current cultural and political references to settle on a color and then they choose a shade while also paying attention to the shade’s name.
“The color name is critical. The minute you hear a name describing color, you instantly conjure up an image,” Laurie Pressman, the institute’s vice-president, told CNN.
She added that while different shades of white are already in use in fashion and decor, Cloud Dancer embodies flowing natural fabrics including things like feathers.
Not the First Calming Shade
This is not the first time that Pantone has picked a calming shade, according to TIME. In 2025, the color of the year was Mocha Mousse, a warm and comforting shade. The year before Peach Fizz was chosen to be gentle and nurturing.
“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity,” Pressman said in the press release.
“We are living in a transitional time where people are seeking truth, possibility, and a new way of living,” she added. Maybe a shade of white is the blank canvas people need to paint a new picture of peace, unity, and a release from the external pressure of these tumultuous times.
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