Pantone dropped the 2026 Color of the Year, and I’ll be honest, it stopped me mid-sip of my Earl Grey tea.
I love color.
And this “color?”
Is it fresh? No.
Is it exciting? Also no.
Is Cloud Dancer even a color? Or is it just absence with a good PR team?
Cloud Dancer isn’t disruptive. Isn’t inspiring. It’s just there. Floating. Neutral to the point of invisibility.
And as an artist, that kind of choice will either bore you or challenge you. I choose a challenge.
Here’s the thing this industry teaches you early on: you don’t always get to pick the environment. You pick the response.
Take what’s handed to you — even when it makes me roll my eyes — and ask, “How far can I push this?”
Subtle doesn’t mean soulless. And a “boring” color doesn’t get to stay boring if it lands on my table.
Give me something underwhelming, and I’ll add depth, contrast, tension, and story. When the trend feels flat, the artist has to rise.
Yeah, I’m giving Pantone a little side-eye, but I don’t follow trends to be comfortable. I use them as material.
If you design with this color in 2026, choose to take it somewhere interesting.
Ace In Full Bloom