Pantone has come under fire after naming a shade of white as the 2026 "Colour of the Year".
On Thursday, the corporation - which specialises in naming colours and upholding colour standards - announced “Cloud Dancer” as this year’s pick, describing it as “a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society”.
Pantone Colour Institute executive director Leatrice Eiseman said: "The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves.
"A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences."
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
After the announcement was made on the company's social media pages, the decision came under fire from designers and political commentators.
Some described the choice as dull, while others accused the company of endorsing a politically charged message due to the pick.
Anthony Bruno Interiors wrote: "Friendly reminder that design and art is and has always been political."
Rheefined Company designer Jason Rhee said that the decision to chose a shade of white "during this social and political climate really says something".
Panton announced 'Cloud Dancer' as this year’s pick, describing it as 'a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society'
|PANTONE
Mx Domestic Fabric Shop owner Matthew Boudreaux fumed: "Choosing an almost-white shade as the Colour of the Year right now is hard to separate from the broader cultural context we’re living in.
"When white supremacy is resurfacing loudly in national leadership and policy, elevating ‘white’ as the symbolic colour of the year feels painfully tone-deaf.
"Colour choices don’t exist in a vacuum - they reflect who was in the room, whose perspectives were missing, and what messages get unintentionally reinforced."
He added that he wished Pantone "showed more awareness of the world marginalised communities are navigating every day".
WOKE MADNESS - READ THE LATEST:
The decision came under fire from designers after the announcement was made
|GETTY
A variety of media outlets also weighed in on the media company's decision.
Vanity Fair correspondent Jose Criales-Unzueta claimed it echoed "a late-night show comedy skit", adding: "After a year of efforts by the Trump administration and corporations to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, alongside aggressive immigration crackdowns, it feels bold, and dare I say out of touch, to utter the words 'white is the colour of 2026.'"
The Guardian's Emma Joyce and Nick Miller called the company "Pantonedeaf", while Washington Post reporter Rachel Kurzius said that "in a year filled with news about rising white nationalism, proclaiming a white the colour of 2026 might raise some eyebrows".
Amid the "woke" backlash, Pantone vice president Laurie Pressman insisted the decision had nothing to do with skin colour.
Cloud Dancer has been described as a 'loft white neutral that serves as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world'
|PANTONE
She told The Washington Post: "Skin tones did not factor into this at all.
"With Peach Fuzz and then with Mocha Mousse, people were weighing in and asking if this was about skin tones.
"And I think we were going, ‘Wow, really?’ Because for us it’s really about, at such a basic level, what are people looking for that colour can hope to answer?"
Cloud Dancer has been described as a "loft white neutral that serves as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world".
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
More From GB News