Everyone was banking on red, but it’s a "velvety" and "gentle" shade of peach that the global experts at the Pantone Color Institute have chosen as the color of the year for 2024. It’s a shade imbued with positive qualities, conveying warmth and comfort and symbolizing community, which undoubtedly reflects a need for nurturing and empathy as well as an air of calm and a feeling of sanctuary. Announced simultaneously on Pantone’s website and Instagram account, the color of 2024 is also synonymous with soft sophistication and sensuality.
"A warm and cozy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others and the feelings this creates ....Subtly sensual, [it) is a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of tenderness and communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration," Pantone explains on its Instagram account. Adding, "Highly suggestive of good taste ... Peach Fuzz is a gift to the senses, creating a symbiotic relationship between our sense of taste, sight, touch, and scent."
The economic, social and environmental crises, as well as geopolitical instability, have no doubt contributed to the choice of this soft, poetic and light hue. As Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, points out: "At a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion grows ever stronger as does our imaginings of a more peaceful future ...in a world which often emphasizes productivity and external achievements, it is critical we recognize the importance of fostering our inner selves and find moments of respite, creativity, and human connection amid the hustle and bustle of modern life."
"Peach Fuzz 13-1023," its full name, succeeds "Viva Magenta 18-1750," a hue between red, violet and pink, again evoking positive values, but more focused on strength, dynamism and energy.
