Pantone Unveils Its Very Low-Key Color of the Year for 2026 as It Attempts To Offer a Sense of ‘Calm in a Noisy World’

Pantone has announced its highly anticipated pick for Color of the Year 2026: Cloud Dancer, a "lofty white" that is meant to provide a "calming influence in a frenetic society rediscovering the value of measured consideration and quiet reflection."

The leading color authority is one of the last companies to unveil a color of the year, following in the footsteps of major paint brands like Behr, Benjamin Moore, and Sherwin-Williams.

However it is the only company to have opted for a white hue for 2026, a decision that was prompted by a desire to "quiet the mind" and "encourage true relaxation," Pantone said in a press release.

Describing the shade as "a billowy, balanced white imbued with a feeling of serenity," the company noted that Cloud Dancer represents a future that is "free from excess."

"Choosing rest and consciously stepping away from relentless demands and turning inward
recognizes that true strength lies not just in doing, but also in being," the statement went on. "Expressing our aspiration for a future free from excess, Cloud Dancer evolves our desire for contentment and feelings of peace, unity and cohesiveness."

The company's 2026 Color of the Year marks the first time a white has been chosen since 1999, when Pantone first began naming a chosen hue for the following 12 months.

While Pantone has never shied away from neutral tones—selecting Mocha Mousse in 2025, a "warming brown hue" that was intended to "answer our desire for comfort"—selecting white as this year's pick signifies what the company describes as a need for a "blank canvas" amid a time of "transformation."

“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete hue offering a promise of clarity,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said.

“The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, added that the hue presents a chance for reflection on how society will balance basic human interaction with the increasing use of technology, explaining that the company hopes that choosing a kind of blank canvas as color of the year will inspire imagination and innovation.

"In our quest to open up space for creativity and allow new ideas to take shape, for the Pantone
Color of the Year 2026, Pantone will help provide the blank canvas that Cloud Dancer represents by
inspiring and spotlighting artists across the creative community to create their own interpretation of
the Pantone Color through the Year," the press release continued.

As for how the company selects the shade each year, Pressman previously revealed in an interview that the decision is influenced by all manner of cultural movements, from film and TV to fashion, art, and technologies.

"Anything and everything taking place in our culture during the year can influence our Pantone Color of the Year selections for the upcoming year with each source carrying a different weight from year to year, depending on what is taking place in our culture at that time," she said.

"For example, if you look back to 15 years ago, technology would have played an infinitesimal role. Today that is no longer the case. Gaming, social media, AR and physical design itself are all influenced by our technology and the colors we can access in the digital environment."

The chosen shade needs to be relevant to "all areas of design," she added, noting that the team of global color experts at the company do not focus their efforts on choosing one particular "sector of design" for which to select a hue.

"It is critical that we make sure that the color really reflects what's taking place in the global culture at that moment in time," she added.

"Pantone Color of the Year isn’t about what the color is going to represent three years from now, or what it represented last year. It is about what we see for the immediate upcoming year."

As in previous years, Pantone has teamed up with a number of official partners on its Color of the Year 2026, including Motorola, Play-Doh, Post-It, and Spotify, all of which have found a way to incorporate Cloud Dancer into their own product offerings.

The release of Pantone's latest Color of the Year comes nearly two months after Benjamin Moore unveiled its pick for 2026, Silhouette, which was described as "an alluring mix of rich espresso hues with subtle notes of charcoal."

Sherwin-Williams, meanwhile, chose Universal Khaki, which was hailed as being "earthy and timeless," and a "reliable choice for common areas."