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Colour swatch photography: Swatches 1/3 by Clay Banks, Pantone photography: Pink and white rose flowers by Insung Yoon, Pink Smoke photography: Pink Smoke by Pawel Czerwinski, Pink cup photography: Pink cup on top of magazine by Harper Sunday
What do birds and Pantone have in common? Surprisingly, a lot more than you would think!
The expansive colour compendiums created by The Pantone Colour Institute can trace their roots, in part, to the fields of ornithology and natural history. Robert Ridgway, an ornithologist and artist affiliated with the Smithsonian's United States National Museum from 1886 to 1929, undertook the responsibility of documenting the diverse bird species found in the country. To complete this task, he found it necessary to provide precise and accurate descriptions of the colours exhibited by birds. To do this he had to describe and document the colours.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Ridgway published Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, two dictionaries of over a thousand different colours. He produced pages and pages of carefully hand-painted colour swatches which he painted, cut and glued with the assistance of his wife Julia and all at his own expense.
In the late 1950s, printers and advertisers faced colour challenges that echoed the difficulties experienced by Ridgway, albeit on a much larger scale. They struggled to achieve distinct and consistent colours across diverse contexts. Recognizing this unmet demand, Lawrence Herbert purchased the printing company where he worked in 1962 and established Pantone. The Pantone Matching System, introduced by the company, functioned as an industrial-scale solution comparable to colour systems like Ridgway's 1912 publication. This enabled the accurate colour matching of paper, fabric, and ceramics enabling consistent and ongoing reproductions.
Today, these colour dictionaries have evolved into digital formats, enabling accurate replication of colours on computer screens.
Pantone's Vice President, Laurie Pressman, shared in an interview on the company's website which coincided with the reveal of Pantone’s colour of the year for 2023 a bold reddish-pink hue called Viva Magenta.
He said that each colour for each year is determined by a group of institute members representing diverse industries, backgrounds, and locations. They analyse colour trends throughout the year, contributing to the anticipation of future trends. Pressman explained, 'We engage in discussions about our colour psychology and colour trend research, aiming to align the mood of the global zeitgeist with the corresponding colour family. Subsequently, we delve deeper to pinpoint the exact shade.'
On Thursday 7th December during Miami Art Week, Pantone, the design and colour authority, announced its Colour of the Year 2024. Wellbeing is the order of the day for Pantone’s 25th annual Colour of the Year selection, Peach Fuzz (13-1023), which encompasses our ‘desire to nurture ourselves and others.’ The tactile peach tone is a cheerful but serene mix of pink and orange designed to enrich the body and mind. The name is perfect as it is just like the soft, velvety fuzz on a perfect Summer peach. It’s a hue made for spaces used for resting, eating and wellness, so use it in bedrooms and dining rooms. It’s perfect paired with natural timber, reddish oranges, burgundies, pinks and red-tinted purples – which will give it some impact.
‘In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a colour radiant with warmth and modern elegance,’ says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute. ‘A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.’
Pantone’s Colour of the Year is a selection process by a group of the institute’s members from various industries, backgrounds and locations, who look to fashion, interior design, film and even the red carpet to see what hues are popping up. Gucci and Fendi’s Summer collections, and JLo’s Oscars gown all pioneered the pretty pastel shade we are now calling Peach Fuzz. It’s a perfect colour choice and we can expect to see a lot of it in spring and Summer of 2024. It’s a lovely soft pastel hue that should be as popular as Rose Quartz a Pantone Colour of the Year winner in 2016.
Colour is the most powerful communication tool. It is the first thing we see and the first thing we connect to. It is a visual language we all understand, one whose message crosses genders, generations, and geographies. It holds a lot of power - it can influence the full gambit of emotions making us feel happy, calm, hungry, and joyful.
Colour is a globally recognized visual language that has the power to convey what words alone cannot. Given current world events, Peach Fuzz is a shade full of optimism and embodies a desire for gentleness, kindness – and peace.
Peach Fuzz Inspired Favourites
