The color experts at Pantone are sending out a climate change warning with their choice for the 2019 Color of the Year: living coral.
“Even though there is a seriousness — the nurturing aspect of preserving our ocean coral reefs — at the same time, there is that element of playfulness that is attached to the color,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute said.
The color is an “animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens,” according to Pantone’s website.
Eiseman said living coral is meant to be a reminder of the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. In a study published in the scientific journal Nature this year, it was reported that 30 percent of coral in the reef was bleached and died out during a monthslong heat wave in 2016.
“With everything that’s going on today, we’re looking for those humanizing qualities because we’re seeing online life dehumanizing a lot of things,” Pantone Color Institute Vice President Laurie Pressman, told the Associated Press. “We’re looking toward those colors that bring nourishment and the comfort and familiarity that make us feel good.”
Pantone has gotten political in its color choice in the past few years. Last year’s color, Ultra Violet, was said to have been a call for bipartisanship with the combination of red and blue to make violet, and 2016’s choices of pale pink and baby blue signified the movement toward gender fluidity.
Pressman last year said that “The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.”
The colors chosen for 2017 and 2018 were met with criticism for their lack of aesthetic appeal, but living coral has won positive reactions so far.
Many designers in the fashion industry used a similar color in their spring 2018 and fall 2019 shows, and fashion outlets such as GQ and Glamour have praised the choice.
