
Every year, Pantone’s announcement of the color of year grabs our attention – because we’re obsessed with every aspect of events and design, right down to the specific shade of a color for inspiration.
Pantone’s color of the year is, in a way, less about the color itself and more about our commitment to staying on top of the latest trends in events and continuing to put care and attention into the little things.
This year, Pantone made a statement by choosing not one but two colors of the year: Rose Quartz and Serenity, two light shades of pink and blue. From Pantone’s official page: “Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.” These colors are a stark contrast from the previous year’s Marsala, which was a rich, warm, heavy red with shades of brown.
We know firsthand that choosing a color to represent a larger idea can be difficult and time-consuming. This is something that we work with many clients on for their important events and corporate gifts but it became even more personal when we went through a re-brand. As we do with our clients one of the elements we spent significant time on was color. What would our color be? What would it say about us to clients? Potential clients? And would it reflect who we are? Though on the surface it may seem trivial, color is something that elicits an instant visceral reaction in almost everyone. Light blue makes us calm, yellows and oranges exude brightness, green evokes growth. Brands have known this for years and often design their logos and brand schemes around the emotion they hope you will have about their product. Consider the trusted blue logo of Ford, or the bright, happy red of Coca-Cola. Every detail of these, especially the colors use, matter.
In a similar way, it’s important that you use color effectively when designing events or a branded gift. What do you want your attendees to feel? Happy? Energized? Calm? Consider perusing this guide to color from Creative Bloq to get you started. Event planners have an added hurdle though – you may need to stick to specific brand colors for certain elements of the event. If this is the case, be sure to ask the brand group for the latest guide, which will include exact shades and all of the options that can be used in different situations. It’s a small step, but one that can make a big difference by adding clarity, focusing choices and avoiding any brand issues later in the game.