CARLSTADT, N.J. — Pantone, the global provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions for the design community, has introduced Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer as the company's Color of the Year 2026. Cloud Dancer serves as a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society, rediscovering the value of measured consideration and quiet reflection, the company states.

“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”

Since 1999, the beginning of Pantone's Color of the Year program, 2026 marks the first year that Pantone has chosen a shade of white. For 2026, the company has teamed up with various brands, including Joybird, Play-Doh, Command strips, Post-It, and Motorola, to name a few. The company is also launching a new creative initiative that supports the artist community as well as color enthusiasts. Pantone will release surprise limited-edition designs from artists across all areas of design, from graphics to fashion. For the first iteration of the project, Pantone is collaborating with Emiliano Ponzi, an illustrator, visual artist, and author, to create a limited-edition tote bag that showcases Cloud Dancer through his distinctive visual language, which combines conceptual depth with graphic precision. The tote will be available to Pantone fans on Pantone.com.

Pantone describes Cloud Dancer as 'being a color that brings a feeling of airy lightness to all product applications and environments, whether used on its own or combined with other hues.' 

“We are living in a transitional time where people are seeking truth, possibility, and a new way of living," added Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is an airy white hue that exemplifies our search for balance between our digital future and our primal need for human connection—a liminal space that is a launchpad for creative expression—as individuals and communities are experimenting beyond traditional boundaries, opening the door to increased imagination and innovation."

Official Pantone Color of the Year partners

Motorola

Plah-Doh

Post-it

Command

Pura

Mandarin

Joybird