Flower petals and macaron pastry by the Zamurovic Brothers

Celebrating Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year

Published in

Noun Project

4 min readDec 11, 2020

Illuminating and Ultimate Gray.

Pantone has chosen two unique shades as the 2021 Colors of the Year: PANTONE 13–0647 Illuminating and PANTONE 17–5104 Ultimate Gray. These complementary colors reflect the optimism and hope that the new year brings, as well as steadiness and resilience.

“The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit.” — Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Here are a few ways you can use images featuring Illuminating and Ultimate Gray for your projects:

Create emotive, cohesive and inspiring presentations.
Create custom printed fabrics for home decor projects such as pillows and wallpaper.
Print images in these inspiring colors to fashion a new photo gallery to hang in your home.

Tips for Photographers:

Utilize these colors to inspire creative direction for personal photo projects, such as photographing buildings with elements of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating.
Let the colors of the year guide the creative direction of wardrobe selection and location for a fashion or portrait shoot.
Add emotions and storytelling to your photographs. For example, does someone in your life represent strength and resilience to you? Create a portrait and edit in monochrome with shades of Ultimate Gray.