Pantone has unveiled its much-anticipated Color of the Year for 2026: Cloud Dancer (PANTONE 11-4201), a “billowy, balanced white” chosen to embody calm and clarity in an increasingly chaotic world. This marks the first time since 1999 that Pantone has selected a shade of white as its annual color. Described as having an “aerated presence,” Cloud Dancer is intended to serve as a gentle visual reminder of serenity in a “noisy” global landscape.
Pantone says Cloud Dancer symbolizes a clean slate—“a whisper of calm and peace”—and reflects the collective desire for quiet renewal. “Similar to a blank canvas, Cloud Dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start,” the company noted in its announcement.
A Color Chosen for a Time of Transformation
According to Pantone Color Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman, the choice of Cloud Dancer speaks to a deeper cultural shift. With the world undergoing rapid transformation, she describes the hue as a subtle guide toward introspection and focus.
“The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming,” Eiseman said. “Cloud Dancer offers a promise of clarity—a conscious statement of simplification that enhances our focus and frees us from external distraction,” she added.
The color aligns with Pantone’s tradition of selecting shades that mirror global moods, aspirations, and emotional climates. For 2026, that means spotlighting a color that represents tranquility, renewal, and mindful re-centering.
How Pantone Selects the Color of the Year
Pantone’s Color of the Year is determined annually by the Pantone Color Institute, a team of researchers who study emerging trends across design, technology, culture, and global sentiment. Their process includes analyzing new innovations, art movements, social values, travel trends, and consumer behavior.
Pantone Institute Vice President Laurie Pressman previously described the team as “color anthropologists,” explaining that people naturally gravitate toward certain color families depending on the cultural moment.
Cloud Dancer, Pantone says, speaks to the growing need for human connection, understanding, and the longing for a fresh beginning. Its clean, soft white represents both possibility and renewal—a blank page ready to be written on.
