According to The Wall Street Journal, color authority Pantone plans to announce that its color of the year for 2011 is an intense pink it calls “honeysuckle.”
Pantone predicts that we’re about to see a lot of this color, appearing on everything from designer dresses to pillows, water bottles, nail polish, sofas and appliances. A sherbety shade of pink, with a hint of red and orange zest, honeysuckle is seen by designers as a pick-me-up at a time when many people have had their fill of misfortune.
Pantone polls graphic, industrial, fashion and other designers from around the world each year to forecast the colors that will have broad appeal. After many design experts told Pantone they were using versions of a hot pink, the company narrowed the field to this precise shade–known specifically as Pantone 18-2120 TCX.
The honeysuckle color evokes nostalgic feelings of summertime, says Leatrice Eiseman, a color psychologist who has been director of Pantone’s Color Institute for 25 years.
Strategically, colors of the year are supposed to help sell all manner of products and packages. “We also want people to stop and say, ‘Oh, neat color. Maybe I need to buy those plates,'” Eiseman says.
Photo by Cynthia Steffe Collection.