--- title: What to Know About the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year Classic Blue description: Everything you need to know about the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year, Classic Blue, a hue that's calming, reassuring and confident. canonical: https://time.com/5744039/pantone-color-of-the-year-2020/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-12-04T23:39:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:02.106Z og:title: Pantone's Color of the Year Is a Comforting Start to 2020. Here’s What to Know About the Choice. og:description: A soothing color for a new era og:url: https://time.com/5744039/pantone-color-of-the-year-2020/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc4963630528c3c7/698a06fab21a9cc598502cb3/pantone-color-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: pantone-color-2020 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pantone's Color of the Year Is a Comforting Start to 2020. Here’s What to Know About the Choice. twitter:description: A soothing color for a new era twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc4963630528c3c7/698a06fab21a9cc598502cb3/pantone-color-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pantone's Color of the Year Is a Comforting Start to 2020\. Here’s What to Know About the Choice > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 4, 2019 11:39 PM UTC  Courtesy of Pantone  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 4, 2019 11:39 PM UTC Ahead of [the start of a new era](https://time.com/5725768/best-albums-2010s-decade/) that will no doubt bring intense new challenges, the Pantone Color Institute has announced that its 2020 [Color of the Year](https://time.com/5456481/pantone-color-2019/) is PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, a deep blue shade that’s at once comforting and relatable. The indigo hue brings to mind both the constant and the classic; the sky at dusk, an impeccably tailored suit, serene waters, or a bowl of perfectly ripe blueberries. Pantone’s selection of Classic Blue for 2020 is richer when you consider the history of the Color of the Year franchise, which began 20 years ago in 1999\. That year, the color chosen was Cerulean, a serene shade that represented the excitement of a new millennium and offered a calming visual to the anxieties that preceded Y2K. Cerulean’s impact that year permeated the cultural zeitgeist, ranging from home decor trends to high fashion; for reference, one might consider Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly’s monologue in the early-aughts film, _The Devil Wears Prada_, where she breaks down how the color dominated a global industry. So perhaps it should come as no surprise as a decade ends and a new one begins, that Pantone would revisit the blue color family ahead of a year that will carry plenty of changes, fears, and hopes as it ushers in a new phase.  Getty Images “From now and then \[1999\], there’s the same feeling of trepidation about the world, which is why, based on what we saw happening in our global culture, we selected Pantone 19-4052, Classic Blue, to be our color of the year for 2020\. ” Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, tells TIME. “It’s a reassuring blue, full of calm and confidence. It builds connection.”  MILAN, ITALY "u2013 SEPTEMBER 18: A model walks the runway at the Alberta Ferretti Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week September 2019 at Italy on September 18, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho Pressman said that Pantone felt that the color highlighted dependability, trustworthiness, credibility, and constancy, all traits that are valued in the fast-paced, high-stress situations of the current world. She also pointed out that the deep blue matches that of the sky at dusk, which provides an apt example of why this color can resonate with so many people.  Illuminated camping tent under starry sky Getty Images “The sky at dusk – it’s not a midnight blue, it’s thoughtful, but it’s not so deep and mysterious,” she said. “It speaks to our feelings of anticipation, when you think about the sky at dusk, the day isn’t over. You’re thinking, what’s ahead of us? It’s reassuring, but thought-provoking. It highlights our desire for this dependable, anchoring foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era. We’re living in a time that requires trust and faith and confidence. We all see this blue sky and can relate to it, it’s approachable.”  PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 16: A model walks the runway during the Off-White Menswear Fall/Winter 2019-2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 15, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor Boyko/WireImage) WireImage—2019 Victor Boyko Indeed, the color seems especially fitting for this moment in time; the hue is both genderless and seasonless, making it both accessible and desirable, for people in all walks of life. Additionally, its indigo shade can be achieved naturally from plants and dyes, making it a color that aligns well with the sustainability movement, echoing last year’s concentrated focus on sustainability with the selection of [Living Coral as the 2019 Color of the Year.](https://time.com/5456481/pantone-color-2019/)  Waves in a tranquil sea. Getty Images And while some might associate the shade with nostalgia or convention, Pressman says that Classic Blue may be emblematic of heritage, but highly contemporary, which is why it looks just as good when spotted as a hooded sweatshirt from the luxury streetwear line of the moment, Off-White, as it does with a traditional suit from American prepster Ralph Lauren. “We’re returning to classics because everything has been chaotic in the world,” Pressman said. “It’s not about doing it like you did in the past, but reinterpreting it.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5744039/pantone-color-of-the-year-2020/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5744039/pantone-color-of-the-year-2020/"},"headline":"Pantone's Color of the Year Is a Comforting Start to 2020. 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