Colour of the Year a blank canvas?

When is a colour less colour than source of controversy? This week Pantone announced PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer as its Colour of the Year 2026 – and the internet has exploded because Cloud Dancer is, essentially, white.

According to the global colour authority, Cloud Dancer is a ‘billowy and ethereal hue… a lofty white whose aerated presence acts as a whisper of calm in a noisy world’.

“Similar to a blank canvas, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start—opening up space for creativity and allowing our imagination to wander so that new insights and bold ideas can emerge and take shape”, the release notes read.

That’s not what the online commentary reflected, however, with many people criticising the choice from both creative and cultural perspectives, even suggesting it is ‘tone-deaf’ and shows a ‘lack of creativity’.

Addressing the reactions, Executive director of Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman told The Washington Post it was not a matter of ‘defaulting’ to white.

“Rather, the shade is meant to signify a blank canvas ‘opening up new avenues and ways of thinking’", Eiseman said. We’ll just have to wait and see if designers take up the challenge over the next twelve months.

Image: Pantone