For the first time ever, the color giant has chosen a white shade as the “Color of the Year.” Cloud Dancer (Pantone 11-4201) is a matte, airy white that “acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world.”
In a world flooded with visuals and color, Pantone responds by embracing calm and serenity. “Similar to a blank canvas, Cloud Dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start,” says Pantone. With this choice, Pantone invites us to adopt a new mindset — one that allows the mind to wander, giving creativity the time it needs to breathe, making room for innovation.
“The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.
“We are living in a transitional time where people are seeking truth, possibility, and a new way of living,” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute.
Backlash over the “Tone Deaf” “Dystopian” Choice
However, not everyone’s thrilled with the concept. As Forbes reports, the choice has been met with swift backlash online from color enthusiasts who’ve slammed the decision as a boring and sterile option and commenters who’ve said the choice is “dystopian” and evokes white supremacy.
It wasn’t long after “Cloud Dancer” was announced before the choice was slammed by critics as tone deaf—some have used the term “Pantonedeaf”—and the color was accused of evoking white supremacy in a year many diversity, equity and inclusion efforts were cut and as watchdog organizations warn the ideals of white nationalism are becoming normalized in mainstream politics.
Mathew Boudreaux, Instagram influencer and owner of Mx Domestic Fabric Shop, said the color choice is “hard to separate from the broader cultural context we’re living in.” Anthony Bruno, an interior designer who closely follows Pantone’s yearly color choice, posted on TikTok to say he does think the color Cloud Dancer is “chic,” but asked if there was “a single person of color in the room” when the choice was made, adding, “to say that the color of the year is white in a time when we are experiencing a rise of white nationalism is just not great.” Trend forecaster and influencer Mandy Lee said the choice is “beyond tone deaf and disturbing,” and internet personality RaeShanda Lias called it “the color of mediocrity.”
Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, told the Washington Post that “skin tones did not factor into this at all,” adding that the same question was asked when Pantone chose the nude, skin-tone-like Peach Fuzz as its 2024 color and last year, when a warm brown hue called Mocha Mousse was chosen.
Some have speculated the color choice is “a recession indicator”: “We can’t afford color anymore,” one commenter posted.
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