To be brutally honest, my immediate response was less than favorable, but I've warmed to the idea since the announcement. Let me explain. First, I think it's self-fulfilling for Pantone to market a Color of the Year. Color trends and color theory are very important and drive significant marketing and design decisions but distilling it down to one color creates false power. And to determine the color at the start of the year is like a horoscope - ever so slightly tainting perceptions as to create a future where perhaps it may not have been otherwise. Philosophy aside, initially I scoffed at the blatent pinkness of this color and their description of its personality. Courageous! Confident! Vital! Wow. But after weeding through the first two paragraphs of their press release, I got to the heart of their intent and it started to make sense. It's not about the color per se, but about the place that this color has in our lives. No one other than graphic designers really care about the Pantone number on the color chip. But look at the makeup counter in any Sephora and it's teeming with shades of honeysuckle in lipstick and blush because it compliments virtually all skin tones. Pages of my Mexicolor home decor book are devoted to the energizing boldness of this reddish pink shade when painted on a wall. Notice the preppy trend in current fashion and the color that signifies this style? Yep, it's honeysuckle. And as we enter into the dog days of winter I do appreciate the spring-like apparition of such a hopeful color. So when I start to see signs of honeysuckle in magazines, blogs, and trends, part of me will wonder if I'm seeing the chicken or the egg, but then again, does it really matter? - l.o.d.
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