Classic Blue, The 2020 Pantone Color of the Year

Last week Wednesday, Pantone unveiled their 2020 Color of the Year: Classic Blue. This will be a color much used next year by interior designers, graphic designers, other visual artists, and manufacturers to meet the latest color trends for interiors, furniture, accents, fashion, packaging, and much, much more.

In this article, I will share some tips and tricks on how to update your interior with this color, and how to use images with Classic Blue as a trendy asset for your home or office.

About Pantone and the Pantone Color of the Year

Who or what is Pantone?

Most people know Pantone from the colorful Pantone Guides: the fans of sheets with color swatches that designers, painters, product developers, and basically any individual who wants to do something with color uses to "color match" specific colors.

Pantone is a wholly-owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Inc., and a provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions. Pantone services clients around the world through three business divisions: Pantone Standards, the Pantone Color Institute, and Pantone Lifestyle.

What is the Color Of The Year?

The Pantone Color Institute annually declares a particular color "Color of the Year" based on color trends, color studies, and the input from color professionals. Each Color of the Year is considered a significant color direction for products. As such, the Color of the Year impacts every industry: luxury brands, furniture, accessories, automotive; basically all fields of art, design, and manufacturing.  

Classic Blue 19-4052

The Pantone Color of the Year 2020 is Classic Blue. Pantone defines Classic Blue as "instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era."

How to match Classic Blue in RBG, CMYK, and other color models

Pantone Colors are important to artists, designers, and manufacturers because they are part of a standardized color matching system. Each individual color swatch in those nice fans has a unique reference number. As a result, individuals in different locations can reference a Pantone numbered color and be assured that their counterparts understand exactly what colors they are referring to without further explanation or directions needed.

It can be a challenge of course when the artist or designer uses a different program or works in a different color model than Pantone. Printers for example usually work with the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key) model, while photographers and web artists usually work in an RGB (Red, Green, Blue) model. Fortunately, there are companies that solved this problem and provide color code conversion tools like this one.

How to use Classic Blue in interiors

Now that you know what the 2020 Color of the Year is, you can apply several techniques to update your interior with this new color:

• Walls:

You can go big and bold, and color your walls Classic Blue. This will make a dramatic statement and will look great when you, for example, apply it to one wall. You can achieve this by painting the whole wall or use stencils or wallpaper to apply patterns in Classic Blue.

• Furniture:

A second way to update your interior with the 2020 Color of the Year is to use furniture. A chair, sofa, or cabinet in Classic Blue definitely will create a focal point in your interior.

• Accents:

Finally, and probably less expensive than the other two options, you can work with accents to update your interior with the 2020 Color of the Year. Some strategically placed Classic Blue cushions and pillows, some ornaments with that color, even some purple flowers will help you create a contemporary styled interior that matches the latest color trend. And of course, after all, this is a photography blog, you can use photographs.

Photos with Classic Blue

When you consider updating your interior with photos and the color Classic Blue, you have several options available:

• Matting and Framing:

Instead of using an image with Classic Blue in it, you might consider using a Classic Blue frame. Or use a black (or any other color frame) and place the image in a Classic Blue mat to achieve the accent color you are looking for. This works great with black and white images, and also can be very well applied when the image used has a color scheme that is complementary to, or contrasting with, Classic Blue.

• Color in photos:

You can use images that have Classic Blue or similar colors in it (think for example of an image of a nice blue flower). Or, to create a dramatic effect and focal point, use images that have color palettes contrasting or complementary to Classic Blue.

• Toned and Split-Toned photos:

A specific way of using images with Classic Blue is the use of toned and split-tone colored photos. Toned images are created by adding one single color to an image. Split-toning basically is adding two different colors to the highlights and shadows of an image.

Now go ahead and bring some Classic Blue in your life

As shown in this article, there are multiple ways to incorporate Classic Blue in your interior, and I hope it provided you with some good ideas and inspiration to update your interior with the 2020 Color of the Year.

Share in the Comments sections below what you are going to do to bring some more Classic Blue into your li