June Smith: The Pantone Color of the Year 2020: Classic Blue

Pantone’s Color of the Year 2020 is Classic Blue, a calming and dependable color that perfectly summarizes all the qualities we associate with the color blue: it’s soothing and relaxing, yet professional and trustworthy.

The reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

- Pantone

Just look at the minimalistic imagery Pantone chose to present this year’s color choice with. The tranquility is palpable: the sky at dusk, calm waters and two figures reaching out to one another, instilling confidence and serenity.

Pantone couldn’t have made it clearer that this color is about more than just visual trends. It’s capturing a universal desire, a global mood. It’s about the tranquility and connection we all seem to crave in this day and age.

Taking into account that the US presidential election is fast approaching, is Pantone even making a political statement with Classic Blue? That’s up for interpretation. But one thing is clear, the color choice is a keen observation of a prevailing longing for serenity.

Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on.

- Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director Pantone

Classic Blue is dependable and non-experimental. Even the naming of this color is reassuringly simple (not to say boring), which is a statement in itself. The contrast to last year’s bright and lively Color of the Year, Living Coral, is striking. Classic Blue isn’t an exciting or overly modern choice by any stretch of the imagination. It’s all about going back to the basics with a classic shade.

Soothing & trustworthy classic blue designs

Blue is by far the most popular of all colors when it comes to branding. It appears in over half of all logos and that’s not surprising considering its qualities.

According to color psychology, a classic shade of blue like this one represents intelligence, trustworthiness and maturity—all traits that the majority of brands hope to be associated with. Specifically technology companies and large corporations lean towards blue’s steadfastness and security.

Here are some soothing blue designs to show you what Classic Blue looks like in action.