Pantone has announced that Cloud Dancer (PANTONE 11-4201) is its 2026 Color of the Year.
The institute, which is considered a leading authority on color, describes it as a “lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection.”
Cloud Dancer encourages relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, the company says. The color is “associated with new beginnings” and “signifies our desire for a fresh start,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the institute, told CNN.
- A key structural color, Cloud Dancer’s versatility “provides scaffolding for the color spectrum, allowing all colors to shine,” Pantone says.
- Pastel and neutral tones make compatible combinations to Cloud Dancer, offering subtle shifts in hue, the company adds.
Each year, the Pantone Color Institute carefully selects a hue that reflects worldwide trends in design, fashion, current events and more.
- The Pantone Color of the Year program was created in 1999 to spark conversation around color and culture.
- The Color of the Year for 2025 was Mocha Mousse, “a rich, warm, indulgent mood that made our wardrobes (and our world) a little more delicious,” and the Color of the Year for 2024 was Peach Fuzz, a “velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul.”
“The color name is critical. The minute you hear a name describing color, you instantly conjure up an image,” Pressman said, adding that this precise shade of white, with its “equal balance of cool and warm undertones,” was carefully chosen.
“Had we gone for a white that was more optically bright, not only does it take away from the natural feeling and honesty and authenticity that we’re looking for… it almost speaks to sterility and isolationism, because it’s cold,” Pressman told CNN.
The promo industry keeps a close eye on color trends, including the annual Color of the Year announcement, as suppliers and distributors apply those ideas to future product and marketing plans.
