{"id":344299,"date":"2025-12-13T00:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/344299\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T00:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:49:07","slug":"pantone-picked-white-the-internet-picked-phthalo-green-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/344299\/","title":{"rendered":"Pantone picked white. The internet picked phthalo green \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Pantone unveiled Cloud Dancer<\/a>, a soft, billowy white, as its 2026 Color of the Year, the idea was serenity: a \u201cblank canvas\u201d for a noisy world, a hue meant to signal calm, clarity and fresh starts. <\/p>\n

The internet seems to have responded with a collective shrug \u2014 and a swipe toward phthalo green instead.<\/p>\n

A \u2018non-color\u2019 color of the year<\/p>\n

Pantone leaders described Cloud Dancer as a natural, airy white meant to bridge our digital lives and our \u201cprimal need for human connection,\u201d something that can sit quietly behind family photos, couches and Christmas trees. <\/p>\n

But a white shade \u2014 especially the first white Pantone has ever crowned as color of the year \u2014 was bound to stir opinions. And it has.<\/p>\n

Some designers praised<\/a> Cloud Dancer as soothing and sustainable, noting that many people already own white clothing and home goods, which might actually make this one of the most rewearable colors Pantone has picked. <\/p>\n

Others<\/a> read the selection as a sign of the times: another neutral after the last two years\u2019 Peach Fuzz and Mocha Mousse, a color that fits recession-era minimalism and \u201cclean\u201d aesthetics more than it does joy or risk. <\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the backlash.<\/p>\n

\"\"A promotional image of Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year, Pantone 11-4201 “Cloud Dancer.” | Pantone When a white shade meets a complicated world<\/p>\n

Several critics<\/a> have argued that choosing a shade of white in 2025 feels culturally tone-deaf, especially when conversations about race, representation and \u201cwhiteness\u201d are already charged. <\/p>\n

The Guardian noted<\/a> concerns from forecasters who saw the pick as underwhelming or problematic, while design curator Priya Khanchandani told Wallpaper<\/a> that a white color of the year can look like resistance to plurality rather than a celebration of it. <\/p>\n

Forbes<\/a> and other outlets described the online reaction as swift and sharp, with social media users accusing the pick of being dystopian or \u201cwhitewashing,\u201d and some viral posts labeling Cloud Dancer \u201cracist\u201d or Sydney Sweeney-coded<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Pantone has pushed back, per WWD<\/a>, emphasizing that skin tones were not part of the decision-making process and that the color is meant to represent calm, not identity politics. Executive director Leatrice Eiseman framed Cloud Dancer as a deliberate simplification \u2014 a way to enhance focus and offer a moment of clarity. <\/p>\n

Others went to social media and podcasts to say that it\u2019s just purely boring. <\/p>\n

On the \u201cArmchair Expert with Dax Shepard\u201d podcast, co-host Monica Padman shared<\/a> that she uses the Pantone color of the year as her phone screensaver each year. This time, she\u2019s not so sure. Padman said it almost feels like she lost \u201csomething that I enjoy a lot and that \u2026 makes me happy\u201d and that something \u201cI look forward to is no longer a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

the pantone color of the year is… white<\/p>\n

im sure this is going to go super smooth, wont spark any conversation at all pic.twitter.com\/zPqROTA9tu<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Oren John (@orenmeetsworld) December 4, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

i know it\u2019s just a color and it\u2019s not that deep etc etc but pantone picking white as the color of the year during a time where white s*premacy is on the rise is so<\/p>\n

\u2014 courtenay lou who \u2603\ufe0f\u2744\ufe0f\u26f8\ufe0f katseye la (@svviftlet) December 5, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

Pantone color of the year being greyish white is a a recession confirmation<\/p>\n

\u2014 diet coke with lime (@beejohnie) December 4, 2025<\/a> \"\"A promotional image of Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year, Pantone 11-4201 “Cloud Dancer.” | Pantone Enter phthalo green, the internet\u2019s \u2018expensive\u2019 color<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another hue has been quietly staging a takeover.<\/p>\n

If Cloud Dancer is the blank canvas, phthalo green is what a lot of people are actually painting on top of it.<\/p>\n

A Livingetc color expert recently called<\/a> it one of the most \u201cexpensive-looking\u201d colors you can put in a home, praising its rich, jewel-toned depth and the way it sits somewhere between green, blue and black. <\/p>\n

Designers say that because it behaves almost like a neutral, it works on everything from paneled offices to built-in bookshelves. <\/p>\n

So while Pantone\u2019s official palette for 2026 is white, a lot of people\u2019s mood boards are still drenched in very dramatic green.<\/p>\n

not choosing phthalo green as color of the year feels like a mistake pic.twitter.com\/mtd9ecLvCg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SB (@spookyxxboobs) December 6, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cI love that we’ve all agreed to just ignore Pantone and instead choose phthalo green as our color of the year. It really is a fabulous color.\u201d – All of Us <\/p>\n

Cloud Dancer\u26aa\ufe0f, we don\u2019t know her. pic.twitter.com\/YfKI5p7tHi<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Drink. Travel. Dine\u2122 (@DrinkTravelDine) December 5, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

Sorry, @pantone<\/a>. A shade of white isn’t it for 2026. We’re in our romantic goth era as a people. We won’t recognize white as the color of the year when pthalo green and aubergine gleam are just sitting there. Power to the people! pic.twitter.com\/SfHUtVJvlx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jessica Jewett (@JJ9828) December 5, 2025<\/a>