With 2020 marking the 20th anniversary of colour authority Pantone choosing the colour of the year, the pressure was on to determine and set the tone for a new decade. “We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and condence that is expressed by PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue.
Interesting how the company started the tradition at the dawn of this millennium with Cerulean Blue, the colour of the sky on a serene, crystal clear day connoting restful, peaceful and relaxing times. An antidote, if you will, to calm the uncertainty of the new century and the Y2K scare that predominated the period.
It seems we need the same type of reassurance as we embark upon this century’s version of the roaring ‘20s (let’s hope it ends better than that one did!). Imprinted in our psyches as a restful colour, Classic Blue brings a sense of peace to the human spirit, offering refuge. It also aids concentration and brings laser-like clarity, re-centering our thoughts.
After two decades of interpreting the colour culture of the time, Pantone remains loyal to the much-loved blue family, encouraging the human race in uncertain times. It is somewhat poetic that a clear daytime sky blue inaugurat- ed the century, and 20 years later, Classic Blue depicts the colour of the sky at day’s end — dusk — a time of day when we process the day’s events and anticipate what the evening hours will bring. As far as decorating with this universal favourite shade of blue, the options are endless…from large furniture pieces, like a supple velvet sofa to pops of the versatile colour on walls, xtures, dishware and bedding. The sky is the limit…literally.