The Pantone Color Institute has announced the color of the year for 2019: a mellow pinkish-orange hue called Living Coral (Pantone 16-1546).

Pantone’s been crowning a Color of the Year for 20 years now, honing its selection criteria all the while. “Pantone’s color experts…comb the world looking for new color influences,” reads a prepared statement from the company. “This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, play-styles, and socio-economic conditions.”

New technologies, materials, and textures “that impact color” can also play a role in selection, as can things like what’s trending on social media and colors pertaining to upcoming global sporting events.

So what makes Living Coral the queen of all colors in 2019?

According to Pantone: “Living Coral represents the fusion of modern life,” and is “a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time displays a lively presence on social media.”

As a culture, the statement continues, “we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of Pantone 16-1546 Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, Pantone 16-1546 Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.”

There’s also an ocean tie-in, as you might expect with a hue that has “coral” in its name. “Lying at the center of our naturally vivid and chromatic ecosystem, Pantone Living Coral is evocative of how coral reefs provide shelter to a diverse kaleidoscope of color,” reads the statement.

So there you have it. Living Coral. Up your orders of vintage coral, morganite, and other peachy gems now.

(Images courtesy of the Pantone Color Institute)

Emili Vesilind

JCK Senior Editor