It's that time of year again! And no, we're not talking about the holidays. Pantone just released it's not one, but two colors of the year for 2021! When I first saw the announcement, I'm not going to lie, it was a bit of a head scratcher. I can get behind yellow - it's cheerful, colorful, and deserves its time to shine - but gray was a different story.
However, when Val McNichols from Mayesh Carlsbad asked if she could do a blog on the colors, her interpretation really resonated with me. Read on to find out what Val thinks of the 2021 Pantone Colors of the Year!
Pantone’s Color of the Year... We didn’t see that coming. Pantone has released its color of the year for 2021 and we were not expecting this. Two colors have been chosen, Illuminating and Ultimate Gray. The floral industry is a color oriented business - color theory plays a big role in what we do everyday, whether it be designing a floral arrangement or doing a Mayesh Pull. It all revolves around color. Which brings us to Pantone’s color choices of yellow and gray.
When Pantone named Rose Quartz and Serenity, pink and blue respectively in 2015 for Color of the Year, it was the first time two colors were selected together that were also meant to work together by blending. Illuminating and Ultimate Gray are the complete opposite of that.
We can all agree worldwide that 2020 has seen its fair share of disappointments and then some. People are holding out hope for 2021, and to be completely honest, I have been 2021’s hype girl since the summer. I’m thinking Pantone wanted to send 2020 a message - perhaps even a finger gesture - by representing the year as a gray color and ringing in 2021 as a great big ball of sunshine that we all desperately need.
Yellow is the most visible color of all the colors; it is the first color that the human eye notices. Gray, on the other hand, is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral color or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is a color "without color." Yup... 2020 in a nutshell. Don’t get me wrong, some positives have come from 2020: Flower shops have flourished which is truly a blessing for those small business owners. Beautiful People of the Flower Industry video series was born. Important conversations started happening about equality, inclusion and diversity. And of course, TikTok was able to magically reunite Fleetwood Mac in a series of TikToks while skateboarding and drinking cranberry juice.
Maybe I’m being too harsh on Ultimate Gray. In my field the number of yellow flowers outweigh the gray by a long shot - in the images below, some of the gray plants and flowers have been dried, preserved, dyed or painted. Nonetheless, they still count as important elements in floral design.
Over the years I have come to love Pantone’s campaigns and have always look forward to the Color of the Year. This is the first time gray has been honored and second for yellow. I’m going to embrace both colors. Gray will be a reminder of things past. Yellow is our future. A bright reminder of good things to come, surviving with hope and coming together in unity.
Valerie McNichols
Val's Favorite Yellow Flowers
Orchid
Peony Lemon Chiffon
Buddleia
Snapdragon
Daffodil
Craspedia
Rudbeckia
Peony Pastel Elegance
Witch Hazel
Yellow Luecadendron
Val's Favorite Gray & Silver Flowers
Clematis Pods
Painted Fern
Lilac
Tinted Plumosa
Koko Loko Garden Roses
Mink Protea
Silver Bells
Tinted Phalaenopsis
Amsonia
Vitex
Westminster Abbey Garden Rose
So what do you think?! Do you agree with Val's theory on the decisions, or do you have another idea? Let us know in the comments below - we're so curious to know everyone's reactions!