The Lucky Shade is Green – A Green Consensus

It’s March 17th, and St. Patrick’s Day is upon us – we hope you’re wearing green! It’s not the only green you’ll be seeing in 2022. Green colors have gained tremendous popularity across a wide variety of industries. For the first time in the history of announcing Color of the Year (COTY), leading paint manufacturers and WHA have all come to a green consensus. Where you might ask, did all this consensus originate?

What once was a commercial printing company in the 1960s is now recognized as the color authority. For 60 years, Pantone has provided a universal language of color that streamlines color-critical decisions through every stage of workflow for brands and manufacturers. Classified by a numbering method, The Pantone Color Matching System allows, for example, textile manufactures or cosmetic companies to communicate the same color effectively on a global scale. Large corporations like UPS and Target have pantone classification numbers to internally share their signature colors successfully, and even have them trademarked.

With Pantone’s renowned reputation, their clients look to them for brand consulting and insight on upcoming trends. In 2000, Pantone created a campaign to further cement their status – Color of the Year. Overtime, Pantone’s COTY has become an anticipated event, naming a hue that in their expert opinion embodies the year to come. You may ask, who are these experts? And what goes into the process of selecting COTY? Early each spring, a team of Pantone color specialists begin a 9-month process of traveling and collecting trends throughout all industries. Politics, pop culture, technology and social issues are topics deeply researched and considered, as these influence the color. Twice a year, Pantone hosts an international meeting – inviting various nations’ color groups to take part. After two days of presentations and debate, they choose a color and share their philosophy with the world. Coming into their 22nd year of this exciting tradition, Pantone selected “Very Peri” – a color for the first time created specifically for the occasion, but not a green!

After Pantone’s initiation of its first Color of the Year, leading paint manufacturers felt the need to give their input on the matter. In 2010, Benjamin Moore named their first COTY with Sherwin Williams soon following. Fast forward to 2022, the majority of paint manufactures, even other industries like magazine distributers and popular nail polish brands, have jumped on the COTY marketing trend. This year, these competitors are nearly all seeing green! Although they are varying shades, this green consensus speaks to our shared experiences throughout the pandemic. Our renewed appreciation for the outdoors and prioritizing of our well-being could also subconsciously be responsible for the overwhelming push for this versatile color. Very few brands resisted the green movement, however, the other hues are still inspired by our natural world, including “Very Peri”.

In 2019, our very own WHA Color Studio accepted the challenge, announcing our first Color of the Year. As color experts, we opted to share our creative ideas and extensive knowledge. In selecting COTY, our designers take thoughtful consideration, combing through color trends across a wide variety of industries, while keeping socio-economic conditions and other key factors in mind. This year, WHA’s 2022 Color of the Year, Aurora, was also a naturally inspired green. While it’s not the only green Color of the Year, Aurora’s green-blue hue is uniquely captivating yet comforting – conveying feelings of excitement and hopefulness.

Greens are “nature’s neutral” and bring a sense of restorative calm to a space. The rise of green tells us that after years of uncertainty, our world is craving growth and new beginnings. As we have been comforted by the shades of green outside our doors, we are now more inclined to bring the outside in, boldly.

*This blog was co-written by Donna Aldrich and Samantha Aiesi*