Color of the Year

Your favorite color might inform a lot of your decisions: the color of the shoes you buy, the color you paint your room, or even the color you dye your hair. Nowhere is the power of color better understood than at a company called Pantone. Each December, a team at this company announces the Color of the Year, which has far-reaching impacts on design, from fashion to home furnishings.

Pantone was founded in the 1950s as a printing company. It went on to become a major player in design thanks to the Pantone Matching System, which makes it possible for any manufacturer who uses the system to re-create the exact same color on paper, fabric, plastic, or other material. Pantone has a library of more than 10,000 colors, including Tiffany & Co.’s blue and Target’s signature red.

Each year for the past 25 years, color experts at Pantone have selected a color they believe predicts the feeling and culture of the year ahead. To choose the color, they spend a year researching global trends, from new movies and art exhibitions to fashion and popular travel destinations. Pantone then sells the Color of the Year to companies, which incorporate it into their designs for the year.

The 2025 Color of the Year is a light brown called Mocha Mousse. The Pantone team says the color appeals to our desire for comfort and connection with the natural world. But following the viral popularity of “Brat” green and the vivid pinks and greens of Wicked-mania, many find Mocha Mousse disappointing and dull. 

Does Mocha Mousse describe your year so far?