Pantone's 2026 colour 'cloud dancer' sparks controversy over neutrality

Pantone has named "cloud dancer" its colour of the year for 2026, a pale off-white the company describes as "a billowy white imbued with serenity", and the choice has provoked criticism.

For more than 25 years Pantone has selected a single colour intended to reflect the zeitgeist; past choices cited in the piece include mimosa after the 2009 economic crash, the 2016 pairing of serenity and rose quartz (millennial pink), and last year’s mocha mousse, which the article links to the recent ubiquity of brown.

Critics have tied the cloud dancer selection to a backdrop of rising white nationalism and the culling of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the US and UK, and quickly called it "Pantone-deaf." Pantone vice-president Laurie Pressman told the Washington Post that "Skin tones did not factor into this," a comment the article says further fuelled division and prompted pieces about "wokeism."

Several commentators weighed in: Nicole Ocran said it "feels like a eugenics-y move," Gabrielle Minoli called it "a white supremacist dog-whistle," Paddy O’Donnell said it "doesn't bring anything new" and described it as a nuanced off-white, and Jules Standish called it "incredibly neutral" and warned the wrong white can make skin look ashy. The article notes Pantone is standing firm and has launched collaborations with Motorola, Post-it and Play-Doh, while debate over the choice continues.

Key Topics

Culture, Pantone, Cloud Dancer, Laurie Pressman, White Nationalism, Dei Programmes