2012 Pantone Colour of the Year: Tangerine Tango

A few weeks ago, Pantone, the global authority on colour and provider of professional colour standards for the design industries, made its annual announcement detailing which colour was to be designated Colour of the Year for 2012 . This announcement signaled the end of the reign of the vibrant, energetic and fesitive shade of pink that Pantone call PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle and a new colour was given the responsibility of wearing the crown into 2012.

According to the colour experts at Pantone, 2012 is all about about the vivacious and enticing hue that is known as PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango. Helping us to restore our energy reserves and giving us a much needed boost in the new year, Tangerine Tango is a spirited reddish orange that is both provocative and attention grabbing.

To get the low down on this vibrant new hue, Freshome spoke to colour expert and Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman.

Pantone recently announced that the Colour of the Year for 2012 is Tangerine Tango. What are the main characteristics of this colour?

LE.Tangerine Tango provides the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward. Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.

What factors led you to select this shade of orange as Colour of the Year for 2012?

LE.The Colour of the Year selection process is very thoughtful and time consuming. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for colour influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films that are in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact colour, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.

For the past few years, the colours selected by Pantone for Colour of the Year have been quite bright and vibrant. What is the reason for this?

LE.We felt that people need the encouragement of uplifting colours in this difficult time. We have a big gray elephant in the room, so we don’t want to do gray as the colour of the year!

Do your colour trend predictions influence the market or does the market influence your predictions?

LE.It works both ways.  When designers and manufacturers see our choices, they will often incorporate the colour into their designs or lines.

How can Tangerine Tango be used to best effect in residential interiors?

LE.Energize interior spaces with Tangerine Tango patterned home accessories. Pillows, bedspreads and tabletop accessories in this high-impact hue will add spice to any room. Use it as a dramatic background wall, especially behind a neutral colour in a sofa.  Then you can pick up some orange in your pillows, lampshade, and area rug.

Thank you Leatrice for your input. Well, orange has already proven to be gaining in popularity with fashion designers and in the beauty industry, but 2012 will see this vibrant colour making its way into our homes, helping us to bring a sense of energy into our interior spaces. From furniture, kitchen appliances and lighting, to flooring, kitchens and bathrooms, using this high-impact hue will add spice to any room. And luckily for us there is no shortage of products for the home in this dynamic colour.