Updated at 5:56 a.m. ET
As December draws its darkest hours ever longer, inching moment by moment toward the shortest day of the year — in the northern hemisphere, at least — the Pantone Color Institute is striking a defiant tone. The global experts in hue have crowned "living coral" as their annual color of the year for 2019.
You can also call it by its official Pantone code, 16-1546 — though admittedly that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. It would also miss the point, in a way, since the institute selected the color for its "vibrant, yet mellow" life-affirming qualities — both our physical lives and those we lead online.
"Representing the fusion of modern life, PANTONE Living Coral is a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media," the institute explained in a release Wednesday.
Introducing the Pantone Color of the Year 2019, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral - an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression. #COY2019
Posted by Pantone on Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Since naming cerulean blue the color of 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has been passing the crown to a new shade each year, basing its choice on trends observed in a wide variety of areas — including "entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations ..."