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The Color of the Year has everyone raising eyebrows.
Travel back to the days of asking someone “What’s your favorite color?” The answer is entirely subjective—with infinite options. So, naturally, Pantone’s Color of the Year pick is rarely to everyone’s taste. But this year, the selected tone has been deemed downright tone-deaf.
Cloud Dancer—a shade of white with the tiniest hint of yellow—sparked discourse among color enthusiasts dissatisfied with the selection amid ongoing political dialogue surrounding race and the rollback of DEI programs. Some say it also signals wealth and elitism, noting that other years boasting true neutrals—Sand Dollar in 2006 and Ultimate Gray in 2021—arrived in similarly fraught political moments.
Despite the in-depth theories—and some even going so far as to propose an entirely different deep green hue—Pantone attempted to shut down the chatter immediately.
“The global team at the Pantone Color Institute selected this color for its emotional and creative resonance, not as a statement on politics, ideology or race,” the brand said in a statement. “Pantone does not assign political narratives to color; to select or avoid a hue on that basis would give such narratives a significance they do not hold in this process.”
Others argue Cloud Dancer is simply a dull pick for a year that could use bold color and brighter energy—and not “the exact shade of a white shirt after 20 washes.” And if that sentiment sounds familiar, it’s because the internet said the same thing about 2025’s Mocha Mousse. The only thing every Pantone pick has in common? Someone will always be displeased—and vocal—about it.
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