Pantone has officially announced its color of the year for 2026 — and social media is… not having it.
The color authority chose a crisp white hue called Cloud Dancer (Pantone 17-1230), describing it as a “symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society.” According to Pantone, the shade is meant to be “similar to a blank canvas” and “quiets the mind, encouraging true relaxation and focus that allows the mind to wander and creativity to breathe.”
“Peeling away layers of outmoded thinking, we open the door to new approaches,” Pantone added. The company also emphasized that the decision was “not arbitrary” but the result of “thoughtful consideration and trend analysis.”
Still, the internet seems unimpressed. The backlash was swift, echoing the groans that followed last year’s Mocha Mouse announcement.
Lidiana Rios (@ittybittylidi) didn’t hold back on Instagram: “The color of millions of boring ‘influencer’ interiors that interesting and curious design is actively moving away from… did you ask AI to come up with this? It is giving LLM-generated, it’s an algorithmic choice, it’s almost radically uninspired, I could pass out from boredom.”
Others were quick to call out the timing of the choice. One user on X wrote, “i know it’s just a color and it’s not that deep etc etc but pantone picking white as the color of the year during a time where white s*premacy is on the rise is so.”
And, of course, the memes started rolling. One joked, “The Pantone color of the year could have also been named ‘landlord special.’” Another referenced Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle jean ad, tweeting, “Pantone has great jeans.”
Pantone, meanwhile, doubled down. During a webinar on December 4, the color authority framed Cloud Dancer as “a tonic to the busyness of modern life,” designed for “respite and relief from emotional and physical stimulation” in the midst of “a cacophony of noise and conflicting messages.”
Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, explained: “At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity.”
