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Backlash Hits Pantone After Color Of The Year Slammed As 'Tone Deaf,' 'Dystopian’

Pantone announced Cloud Dancer as its 2026 Color of the Year at its Dec. 4, 2025 launch event in NYC, provoking strong reactions from designers and color fans online.
Framing the selection, the institute emphasized that Cloud Dancer reflects a desire for simplicity and a calming influence, as described by Pantone's Dec. 3 press release.
Designers and color aficionados reacted as online critics labeled the choice tone deaf and Anthony Bruno, interior designer and TikTok commentator, questioned the diverse input amid rising white-nationalist concerns this year.
Laurie Pressman, Vice-President of the Pantone Color Institute, said skin tones did not factor into the decision and noted similar questions arose with prior picks, while Sky Kelley, President of Pantone, acknowledged the choice would be controversial at the Dec. 4 launch.
Monotype paired Cloud Dancer with Jensen Arabique at the Dec. 4, 2025 unveiling; Jason Castle said, `It is wonderful to see Jensen Arabique... striking a chord with the times we are living in.

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28 Articles

Why Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year Sparked Controversy

When the color experts at Pantone announced Cloud Dancer as their 2026 Color of the Year, they predicted the shade would inspire a kind of cool calm. It did not.

3 days ago·United States

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ELLE Decor

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Why Every 2026 Color of the Year Is Wrong: An Editor's Honest Review

An ELLE Decor editor covers every 2026 Color of the Year—from Pantone’s Cloud Dancer to Universal Khaki—and explains why the beige, “wellness” palette falls flat.

3 days ago

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Glamour

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Is the Pantone Color of the Year Rage Bait? The Controversy, Explained

Pantone's 2026 color of the year sparked backlash—and some think that was completely intentional. Here's what we know about the Cloud Dancer controversy.

3 days ago·United States

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The Daily Caller

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Company Names Its 'Color Of The Year' And Of Course People Are Offended

Pantone announced their Color of the Year for 2026 on Thursday, sparking backlash from the internet’s most annoying voices.

3 days ago·Washington, United States

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Life & Style

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Why Everyone's Hating on Pantone's Color of the Year

Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, is meant to symbolize 'calm and clarity,' but the internet isn’t buying it.

3 days ago

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Johnson City Press

+18 Reposted by 18 other sources

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Monotype Gives Serene Typographic Expression to the Pantone Color of the Year 2026 PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer

Pantone Color of the Year 2026 and, for the first time, its typographic expression, have been unveiled December 4, 2025, in NYC.Inspired by Pantone Color of the Year 2026, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer, is paired by Monotype with revived typeface…

3 days ago

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