Blog
January 2025
Kicking off 2025 with a bang, this designer feels the need to reflect on the Pantone colour of the year and boy is it a doozy. I make no secret of my frustration with more and more creative resources being stuck behind paywalls, and whether Adobe or Pantone are to blame for making it happen, either way… stop making it pay-to-play and let us do our jobs. ANYWAY!
Let’s talk Pantone’s 2025 colour of the year: Mocha Mousse. In one word? Underwhelming.
In a thousand words however…
How does Pantone choose the colour of the year?
Pantone chooses their colour of the year by not only reviewing emerging trends in fashion, design and marketing, but also by looking at pop culture movements, economic trends and overall global feelings and tensions. There has always been a connection between how bold or bright the chosen colour is and global stability. Pantone chooses to either reflect the mood in times of economic and political stability by choosing soft colours, or act as a counterbalance during times of instability, by choosing bright and bold colours. For example, political movements and polarisation around 2015 lead to the release of the first colour pairing from Pantone. 2016 gave us Rose Quartz and Serenity, which was centred in passions, harmony, tranquillity and inner peace – all themes that suggest as a society we needed somewhere soft to land. Perhaps THIS is what pantone was going for with Mocha Mousse – an indication that we’re out of recession and starting to enter more stable times. However, Mocha Mousse promises luxury and indulgence which feels contradictory to the economic, political and emotional environment we’re in. When luxury brands are losing buyers left, right and centre, retailers are closing, and the cost-of-living crisis extends across many countries, opting for a luxury colour feels a little (pan)tone deaf.
The correlation between colour and global stability
In years past, Pantone’s colour selection has been used as an indication of economic stability, much like the ‘hemline index’ (mini skirts vs full length check it out here) but I digress. Historically, Pantone’s colour selection was both a predictor of trends in product development, design, and the creative space as a whole, and a sense of the economic climate - it captured the global ‘mood’ of the time.
Really bright, energetic colours were usually paired with times of economic instability – more short-term trend focused and used impulsively. This is often how consumers spend during economic downturns and times of restlessness. When things feel out of control, dire or unpredictable, we’re happy to decorate our homes with bright yellow cushions but won’t invest in that sunshine-coloured lounge. Whereas more muted, ‘timeless’ colours cropped up when the economy and global tensions calmed down again, you WOULD invest in a calming tan couch, or paint your walls a deep-sea blue, but probably not in Prince Purple (ok maybe superfans would… but generally no).
The last few years has felt like Pantone have been just BEHIND the trends. 2019’s Living Coral was the last time I felt a colour made a real splash (pun intended). After the mass bleaching of coral reefs globally, and the pressure for environmental action, the design community was let down the following year when Pantone failed to take the opportunity to declare Bleached Coral, a beige colour, as the colour of the year. This could have highlighted and compared the thriving energy of colour in nature to the landscape we’re headed towards. Even 2023’s Viva Magenta felt two years too late from the mass trend of pink-and-red, and came 18 months after the peak trend of hot-pink dopamine dressing (pre Barbie, but definitely fed into it - remember Justin Bieber’s pink beanie on the red carpet back in 2022?)
Where does Mocha Mousse fit in the equation?
Mocha Mousse feels oddly reminiscent of Kim K’s Skims launch, Yeezy’s and other tonally bland fashion trends that seem at odds with the resurgence of Y2K trends. It’s a real juxtaposition to the uncertain times we’re heading into. Economies are sitting precariously now and we’re seeing massive powershifts in a number of countries, with the UK voting in a Labour government after 14 years of Conservatives, Australia doing the same, and the USA yoyo-ing from Democrat to Republican again.
Bold colour palettes – whether solid, monochromatic or maximalist mixed – suggest colour is going to be a common trend for the next few years. This feels at odds with Pantone’s Mocha Mousse, as we face an uncertain political and economic future. We’ve been living bold colours for the last 2-3 years – Barbie-core pink, Charlie XCX’s Brat green, and Wicked’s pink and green. All moments that have dominated pop culture for the past couple of years.
Perhaps Pantone is trying to be soothing to us all, and provide a warming, soft cocoon with this colour choice, but I can’t help but think that something more assertive, energetic, and optimistic would have read the room a little better. It feels placating and more like an aesthetic pat-on-the-head than anything. It should be polarising and inspiring and exciting, rather than just being ’fine’.
Is it time to look elsewhere for design inspiration?
Pantone often says that it loves all its colours equally, but honestly the last few years have felt more like they have aimed for a participation trophy, than aiming to be the MVP of the creative space.
Perhaps one single colour isn’t enough to capture the vastness of trends, aesthetics, economics and global *vibes*. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of Pantone’s relevance as we share and consume at such a rapid pace. Perhaps it’s time to pass the torch to something more detailed and reflective of sub-cultures.
Pinterest’s 2025 trend report seemed WAY more accurate to not only the shift in trends and over-the-top aesthetics, but also really leant into escapism and the way we interact with colours, aesthetics and trends. Some key trend highlights for me (and at complete odds with what Pantone are harping on about) are –
All of this suggests high escapism and leaning far and deep into aesthetics and ‘cores’ rather than just accepting the trends that are spoon-fed to us by big brands. There is so much monochromatic colour blocking with Cherry Coded in the mix, as well as hyper colourful dreamscapes and over-the-top palettes from Aura Beauty, Rococo Revival etc.
There are many opinions around Jaguar’s rebrand and teaser launch but THAT is at least playing in new territories, looking at colours and vibes and I am so here for it. For an aesthetics-driven, luxury car brand to completely relaunch as a future-focused EV, is a brave statement and feels more like a taste maker and disruptor in this space than Pantone.
Another trend report that felt like a blip but actually feels inspiring, challenging ideas and also drawing on escapism, is Adobe’s 2025 trend report. Admittedly, Pinterest and Adobe hold the monopolies on Mood Boards and design software, their trend predications SHOULD be more robust and reflective of the space than just a single colour. Adobe’s line of thinking has strong parallels with Pinterest’s, but in a much more elevated way. The Adobe report feels incredibly reflective of the design process. It’s like it took the inspiration and thought starters from Pinterest and other inspiration sources, and then worked and reworked, pushed and pulled and took it to new heights. This is exactly the level of trend report we’d expect from Adobe, but funnily enough, not a single shade of brown to be seen. Coincidence?...
All of these trends are unapologetic with their boldness and so over the top it isn’t funny. THIS is what creatives want and need from trend reports. Even if you’re a minimalist and holding onto Japandi-interiors for dear life, taking elements of any of the trend predictions can make for an inspiring challenge, and a way to push the envelope of safety you’ve landed in. Even Mocha Mousses’ inspo palette feels like it could be a minimalist, luxurious interpretation of Cherry Coded.
Some people may really love the 2025 Pantone colour of the year, some may hate it, and some may feel wholly unaffected by it. I feel like I sit in the last category, with complete indifference. It was announced and went by like just another Tuesday, which is a bit disappointing but maybe it’s time to be looking elsewhere for the design equivalent of William Wallace riding on horseback – Pantone may take our enthusiasm, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!
Thanks for reading. Here’s a little something for making it to the end.
PS read the full adobe trend report here – it’s actually really good, even if it’s a bit AI heavy… but that is a rant for another day. I’ll get off my soapbox.
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