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19-4052 Classic Blue – The Pantone Colour of the Year 2020. Image credit: Pantone. 

By Anthony Caggiano

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith.”

Pantone Colour Institute Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman, used the line to help frame the direction as to why 19-4052 Classic Blue was chosen as the Pantone Colour of the Year 2020. 

Eiseman said this particular colour is a solid and dependable hue that expresses constancy and confidence. 

‘A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand out thinking – challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.’

Since 1999, the Pantone Colour of the Year has helped shape product development and buying in areas including fashion, home furnishing, industrial design and packaging. 

It is chosen by the Pantone Color Institute, the business unit within the company. 

So what are some of the areas that we might be able to expect to see the colour popping up? We take a look at some areas where we’ve seen things. 

Fashion
Designer Demna Gvasalia used the hue in his Balenciaga Spring collection, which was displayed at Paris Fashion Week. While the shapes looked at uniforms and had very square structured shoulders, the colour appeared in the stage and a number of items in the collection. 

Product Design

A number of the Red Dot Design 2019 winners had blue hues to them. 

The CHARGEit powerbank, made by SACKit ApS, Denmark, wirelessly charges smartphones, loudspeakers and other mobile devices placed on the “X”. Its design includes a rounded aluminium frame surrounding and woollen upholstery fabric, of which the on-trend colour is in the palette.  

Image credit: Red Dot/Sackit

The Pocket Sky by Active Wearables GmbH, Austria, is worn like a pair of glasses. According to Red Dot, the wearable produces a soft blue light which, similar to daylight, reduces the production of melatonin for the user. 

‘The sleep-wake rhythm, wakefulness and general well-being are improved. Pairs of magnets, plated with gold, help the arc to fold and glide into its dock,’ they said. The jury said with the use of blue light, ‘the wearable device increases the well-being of users in situations of stress affecting the biorhythm.’

Image credit: Red Dot/Active Wearables

Packaging

Classic Blue colour swatches and packaging products. Image credit: Pantone

Pantone said because of the colour’s relation to the sky at dusk, something we see every day, it maintains a perception of dependability and constancy. 

“Classic Blue is an ideal shade for many applications in graphic design. This is especially true for packaging, where PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue conveys the message of credibility and reliability that today’s consumers are connecting to,’ the company said. 

PET Blue Ocean Image credit: Seufert Transparente Verpackungen

At Packaging Innovations 2019, London, UK, Seufert, Germany, was awarded ‘Most Innovative Pack’ for its PET Blue Ocean Material, which has a blue hue and has up to 100% recycled content in the central layer of the polyester.

The manufacturer credited the material’s bluish tint to it conveying ‘freshness and purity to the consumer, setting products in an attractive light at the point of sale.’ The material can also be recycled as a mono film. 

Q. What have you seen that is blue this year? Tell us in the comments box below.