Since 1999, the Pantone Color Institute has named a Pantone Color of the Year. The educational program was launched to engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation about color, according to a statement on its website. “We want to draw relationship between culture and color – to highlight to our audience how what is taking place in our global culture is expressed and reflected through the language of color,” stated Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, in an interview published on the Institute’s website. This year,Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is the “it” shade. According to the Institute, it “captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul.”

The Pantone Color Institute arrives at the Color of the Year through extensive research by a team of global color experts. Inspiration comes from an assortment of areas, including the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all aspects of design, aspirational travel destinations, new lifestyles, playstyles or enjoyable escapes, as well as socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention, stated Pressman in the interview.