It was just announced Wednesday that Pantone’s colour of the year for 2009 is yellow!
Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries, specifically cites “mimosa,” a vibrant shade of yellow illustrated by the flowers of some mimosa trees as well as the brunch-favorite cocktail, as its top shade of the new year. In general, Pantone expects the public to embrace many tones of optimistic yellow.
“I think it’s just the most wonderful symbolic color of the future,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It’s invariably connected to warmth, sunshine and cheer – all the good things we’re in dire need of right now.” “I’d say you should get used to seeing yellow in places you’re not used to seeing it,” Eiseman says.
This is great news as yellow is my all-time favourite colour, in any shade really (the exception being, screaming yellow which my students are also forbidden to use on colour charts they create for me) from yellowy-beige, straw, butter, dijon, moving to even more of the orange side to the colour of sunsets, like the accent colour on my business card, it’s a colour I never tire of.
Yellow means sunshine and happiness, optimisim and hope, it also represents knowledge, which is a knowing about, having learned from the outside.
While you’re here, subscribe to this feed so you don’t miss out!
Need help choosing the right neutral or colour? My How to Choose Paint Colours: It’s all in the Undertones ebook takes the hundreds of choices down to 9 neutral undertones along with list of all my other go-to best grays, broken down into 3 undertones, green, blue and purple. The beige undertones of pink, yellow, green, gold, orange and taupe along with the best greens and blues.
My bonus book of colours is worth the price of the ebook alone but you will also get my system of understanding undertones so you can stop making mistakes when sourcing tile, carpet, countertops, etc.
If you would like to transform the way you see colour, become a True Colour Expert.
First of all, I love your blog! I am thrilled to hear that the top color choice for 2009 is yellow as I am considering purchasing a new sofa with yellow or straw colored slipcovers. Trying to brighten up our dark family room and want to use shades of yellow, reds and turquoise. Thanks so much for the wealth of color information and wonderful photographs. Can’t wait to read more.
I love yellow. So exciting to hear Yellow has won!! I have just found your blog. So lovely. Carla
How fun to know this. I hadn’t ever thought of the psychological/sociologial implications of color in the design world. It makes sense that we will all want a color of optimism!