What big events to celebrate are there in December? There is Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah, right? They’re the three biggest events of the month, and perhaps even the entire year! While the rest of the world is getting busy for the said end-of-year holidays, however, the fashion industry waits with bated breath for the release of next year’s color of the year.
Every December, the Pantone corporation releases its pick for the new ‘color of the year’ that determines the fashion palette for the upcoming year. Supposedly based on the zeitgeist (German for the ‘spirit of the age’), the lucky color chosen from Pantone’s proprietary palette is accompanied by a short blurb and a horde of merchandise created just in time to ride the publicity. On the main pantone website, you can find just about any product painted in the color of the year, ranging from the standard mugs to office supplies and messenger bags. Although they may be a bit overpriced, it may be in your best interest to purchase directly from the source of the color, as the exact shade of color may not be able to be replicated anywhere else.
Pantone is most famed for their Pantone Color Matching System (PMS), which standardizes colors for designers around the world to use and easily communicate with each other. They are referred to by their allocated number, which more often does not correspond to their CMYK color code. The CMYK process – a printing process using four inks, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black – is widely used today, and a majority of the world’s printed works are printed using this process. This is often a point of contest, as the Pantone colors are created using mixtures of specific proportions of 13 base pigments. Evidently, the fact that even governments are using Pantone colors to refer to national flag color schemes signifies the importance and dominance of the PMS.
The color of 2012 is a vibrant red-orange named Tangerine Tango. According to Pantone, it’s supposed to give you fresh energy and vigor to continue on in the day, and is highly recommended for adding understated luxury to offices and homes. When used for makeup, it complements blue or green eyes, and adds an amber hue to brown eyes, making it perfect for spring or fall looks.
The color itself is reminiscent of the 2004 color of the year, Tigerlily, although Tigerlily is a more yellow-orange tone. Furthermore, in accordance with the zeitgeist, the color of the year for 2004 was meant to convey fun and vivacity, to add a spunky punch to any item incorporating the color. In stark contrast, Tangerine Tango is meant to energize and liven, to get you through the day. The difference in the color descriptions provides an interesting look into how our economy has changed through the years.
Tangerine Tango looks vibrant and new on any product. You can grab a mug for your morning orange juice, or a notebook to wake you up during that 8:30 chemistry lecture. For furniture, seat cushions and tabletop accessories will be a safe bet, as to not swamp your living space with too much color. It complements any neutral shade such as beige, and also goes well with deep shades such as navy blue. Try painting a wall in Tangerine Tango for a burst of personality to the room. I personally use ink pens of a similar orange shade to mark up my notes during exams season – they’re easy on the eyes, and just fun to read when you’re all done. No matter where you use the color, it’s sure to help brighten up a dreary Duke winter day.
Image Sources:
http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/ProductImage.aspx?pid=1000&lid=8
http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/ProductImage.aspx?pid=1271&lid=8
http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/ProductImage.aspx?pid=1270&lid=8