Global color authority Pantone announced its 2026 Color of the Year — Cloud Dancer – late last week, describing it as “a billowy white imbued with serenity” whose “aerated presence acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world.”
The reaction to date has been anything but serene. with critics questioning the choice from both creative and cultural perspectives.
Designer Jason Rhee told NPR that “Choosing the color white during this social and political climate really says something…”. Others contended that in a moment when color is used to express diversity and emotion, choosing a white-based shade feels “tone-deaf at best”.
Politics and culture aside, the choice of a white tone – the first time Pantone has opted for a basic achromatic shade — has also been controversial, with critics arguing that it shows a “lack of creativity” and a “disconnect from the artistic and design communities”.
Executive director Leatrice Eiseman addressed the comments, telling The Washington Post that the shade signifies a “blank canvas ‘opening up new avenues and ways of thinking'”. Eiseman also stood by the original justification of the color, telling the BBC that Cloud Dancer “expresses our aspiration for a future free from toxicity and excess”.
Pantone relies on a global team of color specialists to choose each year’s hue, drawing on a wide range of influences — including film and television, art, fashion and design trends, emerging technologies and materials, as well as social media and major upcoming sporting events.
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In recent years, jewelry designers have actively looked for gemstones that match or complement the trending Pantone shades, with emeralds, peridots, and green tourmalines becoming prominent when “Emerald Green” was the color of the year in 2013, while zircons, champagne diamonds, and cognac diamonds became more noticeable when when “Mocha Mousse” reigned in 2025.
