Pantone has announced the Color of the Year 2019 — Living Coral, also known as Pantone 16-1546.

Living Coral is an “animating and life-affirming coral hue,” according to Pantone. It has a golden undertone that “energizes and enlivens with a softer edge,” the company states. It follows 2018’s Ultra-Violet — see it here.

The vibrant, yet mellow coral hue conveys a feeling of  “embracing us with warmth,” Pantone says, while providing “comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.” 

Since it is a nurturing color found in nature, Pantone’s team explains it was chosen in reaction to the “onslaught” of digital technology and social media.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director, Pantone Color Institute, says, “Color is an equalizing lens through which we experience our natural and digital realities, and this is particularly true for Living Coral. With consumers craving human interaction and social connection, the humanizing and heartening qualities displayed by the convivial Pantone Living Coral hit a responsive chord.”

There is also the fact that the coral reefs are in danger — so the color choice is timely. 

Refinery29 reports, “The color is a poignant reminder of the damage inflicted by global warming on the Great Barrier Reef – earlier this year, scientists reported that 30% of the reef’s coral was bleached and died during a catastrophic nine-month marine heatwave in 2016.”

Eiseman tells Refinery29, “Even though there is a seriousness – the nurturing aspect of preserving our ocean coral reefs – at the same time there is that element of playfulness that is attached to the color. Coral is a color of beauty and a color that humans are so attracted to. Think, most importantly, of the sunset. It conjures up a picture of some beautiful tropical place, some place you would love to be on a vacation.”

Stay tuned for news on beauty brands featuring Living Coral. 

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