Touched by Turquoise: Pantone's 2010 Color of the Year

Turquoise as an Escape

Each year, Leatrice and her team at Pantone forecast the following year's big breakout color. "We don't just think about which color is gaining momentum and pick what we think will be the hottest color in every product category," Leatrice says. "We conduct color-word association studies and gather the zeitgeist in the entire world." From very extensive research and in-depth analysis, Pantone chooses one color that is symbolic of the world that year.

In our world this year, job loss and a still-sluggish economy linger as a symbol of the times. As a universal symbol of healing, turquoise represents an air of optimism and protection against this modern-day struggle, Leatrice says.

Through word-association studies, Pantone also confirmed that turquoise reminds people of tropical oceans and represents escape. This one color alone evokes images of sandy beaches, green palm fronds and crisp waters—the ultimate island getaway.

"Essentially, it symbolizes a place people can go to and forget about their cares, if not actually, then aspirationally," Leatrice says.


Color combinations: turquoise with neutrals