The hue for 2026 according to design experts is a billowy white imbued with serenity known as “Cloud Dancer 11-4201.” The colour of the year is decided by the Pantone Colour Institute, which has described it as a “lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection”.

Every year since 1999, the Pantone Colour Institute has declared what the specific shade for the following year. The company has a trademarked system for matching colours that is used in print, manufacturing, marketing and design industries to reproduce exact shades of a precise colour.

The colour institute originally created the Colour of the Year to “engage the design community and colour enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around colour”.

A team of “global colour experts” get together to make the decision, according to the company.

Pantone Colour Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman said “PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity. In an interview with Pantone, Ms Eiseman said “it comes at a time of transformation when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world”.

“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,” she said.