Pantone Color of the Year

"Honeysuckle", described as a “vibrant, energetic hue,” has been given the title “color of the year for 2011” by Pantone LLC.

The color marks a shift in mood from 2010, when a turquoise shade was given the color of the year designation, and “served as an escape for many,” Pantone said in announcing its choice for 2011.

“Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor,” said the company, a unit of X-Rite Inc. “A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.”

Specifically, Pantone identified PANTONE® 18-2120 Honeysuckle as its color of the year.

The company said its annual color of the year declarations have, for more than a decade, influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries including fashion, home décor and industrial design. Pantone is a provider of professional color standards for the design industries, and offers a line of paints, PANTONE Paints.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said of the color of the year choice. “Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going—perfect to ward off the blues. Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color, red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.

"The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”


In addition to the “healthy glow” honeysuckle produces in fashions, home furnishings and other items, a wall painted in the color can deliver “a dynamic burst of energy in the family room, kitchen or hallway,” the company says.

PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle can be cross-referenced to all other PANTONE Libraries including PANTONE PLUS and PANTONE Goe™. For cross-referencing information see www.pantone.com/COY2011.