Color of the Year and More Color Discussion

 In episode 88 of I Hate Talking, the hosts revisit the idea of “color of the year” and unpack Pantone’s 2026 pick: Cloud Dancer. Instead of finding it calming or inspiring, they both react strongly against it, describing the off‑white shade as dingy, dirty, and more like a stained wall or leaky dishwasher water than a serene, billowy cloud. They also read and gently roast Pantone’s poetic marketing language about clarity, creativity, and fresh starts, noting how little it matches their actual emotional response to the color.

To frame the discussion, they introduce Pantone as both a company and a standardized color-matching system used in printing, fashion, and product design, explaining how it aims to make colors consistent across inks and materials. From there, the conversation wanders delightfully: who gets to name colors, why some design choices spark internet backlash, and whether anyone genuinely likes Cloud Dancer or if it’s being universally dragged online. They also detour into “color seasons” (like soft summer), AI-driven palette analysis, and whether couples might share similar color profiles over time. The episode closes with an open invitation for listeners to hunt down any past “color of the year” episode they may or may not have actually recorded and to weigh in on whether Cloud Dancer deserves its controversial spotlight.

Keywords: Pantone, Pantone Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, off‑white, neutral color, color naming, color marketing language, color psychology, color backlash, standardized color system, design and printing, fashion color trends, soft summer color season, personal color analysis, AI color analysis, I Hate Talking podcast, 2026 color trends.

Transcript

I Hate Talking: 0:29

Welcome to episode 88 of I Hate Talking. Hi everyone. So like we mentioned last episode, we are, I guess, going to talk about the color of the year 2026. OK. So since that time, have you listened to our previous episode on the Pantone Color of the Year 2025? No, no, I haven't. No, I haven't either. I haven't even looked up where it is. So hopefully our listeners, if they have not listened to that episode previously, they have found that in the archives, and then they can tell us what the color of the year 2025 was or anything pertinent that they enjoyed about that particular episode. Yeah, please tell us because we don't know where to find it or what to do. And I am curious what word we did for that episode. Maybe it was the color because. This particular color for 2026, it's not really like a distinct color per se. And I, I would say it's not even really a color at all, unless you like knew that it was a color. Yeah, it doesn't sound like an appropriate color or true color. Right. And that is what a lot of people say about this. Particular color that was chosen for 2026. Is that why they chose it? Because it's controversial? They maintain that they did not choose it for any controversial reasons. OK. Do you believe that? I do believe that. That they did not choose it for any controversial reasons per se. Maybe there was somebody way down at the lower levels that was like, it would be funny if this was the color of the year, and they submitted it and then it became the color of the year, almost as like a joke and like just the corporate approval process, it somehow made it through the entire way from this underlings. Sort of joke submission. But I don't think there was anything nefarious about it in general. It just reminds me of like, the other topic of who names streets. Like, I wonder who names a color, but also who names city streets, because sometimes they're so random or they're so similar. It's like First Avenue and First Street. And it's complicated and frustrating. That's true. Probably the city planner, or if there was no city planner, then it just was named by people that had that section of city planning, quote unquote. And that's maybe why you see a lot of particular conflicts or similarities that are confusing. But I guess for our word or phrase of the episode, because I don't think this is what we did last time, is we will have the word Pantone as our word or phrase of the episode. And that is because Pantone Company. is the one that chooses the color of the year. OK, I was gonna say that's not the color of the year. That's the company that does choose it, right? But it also is somewhat of a word, I guess this is either because Pantone makes colors or because Pantone is all about colors that they adopted that name. I guess we'll have to see perhaps. Which one came first, but the just general noun in relation to Pantone and not the company itself is a standardized color matching system. So it basically is a universal language for color, assigning unique codes to specific hues for precise communications in industries like printing, fashion, and product design. So would this entail both like the numbers where it's like a, the red is, I don't know, I'm gonna make it up. XC 72, sure that's not it. I know people know it, but you're talking about like hexadecimal color codes and things like that or RGB color codes. That's what you're going with that. I don't know. You know what I'm talking about, right? Y'all know. So is that a Pantone? So those are hues and shades of colors. The thing that sets Pantone separate from that is because they actually go a step further, and when this particular color is used in print or in other production materials, there's actually a matching system to ensure that the ink and the formulas used to produce that color. are a match. So whereas you would get a color at the same time on a computer screen for a particular color. Using a hexadecimal code or a RGB color code, when you print that on the formulas of the ink that it could be based on er and chemical composition of the ink and things like that. That the Pantone matching system will actually have a matching color for the actual physical color that is produced for production materials and things of that nature. So Pantone is more accurate and consistent. Yeah, it's basically a system to ensure accuracy and consistency because it is having that single reference point for a color. Would your color season be Pantone? Your color, what your color season. I'm like getting into it. I wanna season, yeah, like fall, winter, spring, summer. You've never heard of a color season? No. OK, well, we've already talked about how much you hate that I wear yellow, and I don't wear it that much anymore, but what colors do you think I wear the most? Blues and greens Do you know why? And I also wear pinks, I think too, but yes, blues, greens, pinks. Because you like those colors and probably it's easier to match things within your wardrobe to those particular colors. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and because I'm a soft summer. That's my color season. I see. And so like when I wear that mustard yellow shirt you hate, that is not in my color season, and that's probably why you hate it. That could be. So this is a particular system, quote unquote to match colors of wardrobe to your own wet body type -- like that your skin tones the -- word I was looking for, yes. Yeah, if you're a warm skin tone or light, you know, cool, and that sort of thing. I see. -- So cool -- summer. No soft, soft summer, soft summer. So soft pinks and greens and blues. Is there like a hard summer? I don't know. There's winter, spring, summer and fall, and then there's subcategories within each one of those. Like spring is gonna be like the bright colors like yellows and pinks. And then the winter is like black. The darker and then like fall is like browns and jewel tones. I see. So Johnny Cash would be a winter. I don't know if he is. That's how he dresses, but the whole concept is so interesting, you know, look it up one day. The whole concept, like people look so much better, so much worse based on their color seasons. I see. And this has nothing to do with their like birth month or anything like that. I don't think so. No, -- it's just -- the system doesn't try to jump to that particular. No, there are professionals that do this. That like tell you your color season. And I've looked it up, it's a lot of money and not in my budget right now. One day I want to. I've only done AI version, and it seems OK, but you can see some people like, they'll have like dark circles in their eyes or look tired or sickly, and then all they do is change the shirt color. And they look so vibrant and healthy. I suppose so. It almost sounds like a made-up job. It's not though. I'll, I'll show you later. It's really cool. All right. And then to answer, no, that is not Pantone. This is again, more specifically for use in color matching to ensure consistency and accuracy for colors within print and other production materials, right? But the reason I'm thinking about it, like the other day we had an event and I needed to get something for it. So I saw these shirts I liked and then I pulled up my soft summer color swatch. And I compared those colors to the colors on Amazon that were available to see which one was in my color palette. So that's Pantone, right? No, you're talking more general colors with just palettes and related colors. Everything within a family or category of -- greens or teals or blues can't be the -- whole thing because there's so such a variety. It's only a couple of colors within that category. Interesting. Well, maybe it is then. I don't know. But the Pantone colors are often called spots that are premixed with inks. So it is for these specific colors. So they actually have these inks that are premixed rather than inks being combined at the time of production. OK, so they're like unique in and of themselves. You cannot make them. Well, they, they make them, yes, but only they can, we can't. Copy it. I mean, I guess you could try, but then it's not Pantone approved. OK. And then to answer the question on which came first, Pantone, the word as it relates to a standardized color matching system versus the company Pantone. Pantone Company came first. They, I guess, developed. This particular process in the 1960s by the Pantone company and that became known as the Pantone matching system. OK. So I guess we need to get to the color of the year because our listeners have been waiting all this time and we've teased it from last week until all the way through this episode. So we need to get to the color of the year 2026. OK, let's let's tell us what it is. So again, I wouldn't know that this was a color if I just heard this phrase. I would not think of color at all. I would think of something else. So you, our listeners can tell us what you think when you hear this phrase, cloud dancer. OK, sounds so ridiculous. Pantone 114201. Oh wow. So it's not even like the XC whatever. No, these are Pantone matching systems. They have, they have their own color. Yes, -- I paid -- attention. I know. I was just surprised. See, I would, if I heard the word Pantone 114201, I would probably know that that's a color. If I heard the phrase cloud dancer, I would not think of a color. I would think of like a Song by. What's the band that does the. U2. I think it was like a U2 song or something. OK. I mean, -- this is like -- U2's newest hit, Cloud Dancer. Well, that's not where my brain went, but I did think of music, and maybe it's because of the word dancing, like dancer. It does sound like a song. That people would know. No, cloud dancer. I would not associate with a color, but when I think about it, I would think, OK, I just, I'd looked it up, so I know what color it is. So let me try to clear my brain. What did I remember what I used to think it would look like? Cloud dancer. I feel like it would be sparkly and like very airy, light, like see-through almost. It's what I would picture. Yeah, I mean, that's how Pantone describes it. So I mean, from their very own website, they say, quote, Cloud dancer, a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection, a billowy white imbued with serenity. Cloud dancer encourages true relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, making room for innovation. Holy moly, that's a lot of words for a color, and I don't agree with them. Because the color is so stark white, that it's like, or not stark white, what, what do you call that? I'd almost call it like a dingy white, -- like a dirty -- white, dirty, yeah, it's not, it's definitely not a stark white, it's almost sort of grayish, sort of looks like. It has a layer of dirt on it and it needs to be cleaned. Right? Maybe that's what I'm feeling because I feel a little stressed when I see that color. I don't feel relaxed at all. I just feel like my shoulders tensing up towards my ears when I see that color. It doesn't remind me of a cloud, like a cumulus cloud. It sort of almost looks more like a thunder cloud if you're gonna do cloud dancer. -- It just looks dingy to me is what I -- would say like someone spilled something on a white counter and then you tried to wipe it off, but you didn't do a good job, right? Or it's like a white wall that's been left to time and it has like 2 years' worth of dust on it. So we agree that we do not like cloud dancer. We will not paint our bedroom that color. That's true. Yeah, I don't like it, and it's not giving me serenity. Yeah, it's not even like a gray. It's, it is a white. But like a gray is a gray, and I'm OK with gray, I like the gray. I'm wearing a gray sweatshirt right now. And it's a gray though. It's not like an off-white dingy white quote unquote gray as is cloud dancer. Right, cause it's got more tinges of like yellow-ish, brownish than gray, you know, -- like -- it's, no, I, maybe, I don't see any color. You don't see any color? Like in terms of the RGB colors, no, I just see. Whites and grays, I don't see anything particularly that. I brownish Now there's also some interesting quotes from Pantone leadership that says, At this time of transformation when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, Cloud Dancer is a discreet white hue offering a promise of clarity. 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. So is this a color they already had and they were like, we're going to choose this one, or is it brand new created? I mean, they already had it. It's in their catalog, so. Again, I don't know what their selection process is, but at some point they thought this was the right one. They have another quote that says, similar to a blank canvas, cloud dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start. Peeling away layers of outmoded thinking, we open the door to new approaches. An airy white hue, Cloud Dancer opens up space for creativity, allowing our imagination to drift so that new insights and bold ideas can emerge and take shape. I mean, these are all very nice things to say, but I do not get that feeling when I look at Cloud dancer. Nor do you apparently, right? No, I strongly disagree with it. And then that doesn't even cover like the blowback that they've received from. Social media and things like that on this. Yeah, apparently there's some people that think this is like whitewashing. Society and that this is like white privilege and lots of things that The color white? Yes, the color white. Because they said it causes serenity because white. Is saying white is serenity is racist. Because it's weight, yeah. Not serenity itself, but the color is white, so, yeah. Yeah, there's lots of comments on Reddit that says the color of supremacy. That this is bleak. Here's one quote that says, it's the exact color of water on my kitchen floor when my dishwasher was leaking. That's true. So, yes, there's a lot of people that think that this is sort of just, again, like you said, sort of a trolling color that. They weren't really actually serious about this color, but. Who knows? What was their colors in years past? I don't know. We haven't listened to that episode. OK, what part of this can't you just Google like 2023 Pantown? Well, it would have been 2025. Yes, I think we can, yeah, but why can't we go back even farther? Well, I suppose we could with the power of the internet. You don't need to look up 2025. We theoretically already know that answer. Theoretically, but we actually don't. But that's how I live most of my life. Did we do a different color of the Year? I don't remember this. Pantone Color of the Year 2025, Mocha mousse. It's brown. I don't remember that. Maybe we did a different color of the year. Maybe there's just too many people doing too many color of the years, too many people doing too many words of the year. We just need to, -- are you sure -- we even did a color of the year? Because I have zero recollection of this, and now I'm getting more confident in my. Well, maybe I just watched a reel about it and thought it was real life. Y'all, OK, well, I was looking this up, I told, we went to a comedy show last night. Oh man, we laughed. It was so funny. It was so good, and we had a great time. And then came home, you know, the kids had a babysitter, the babysitter was awesome. She even cleaned our house. We've never had a sitter, like, clean our house like. Oh man, it looked amazing. We haven't had it that clean in years. She did a good job. So the kids had been asleep and she wanted to use her time wisely. So, that was amazing. We're so thankful for her. Then tonight, I was talking with Adam and I was like, hey, I saw this real. And I gave the synopsis for the what I thought was a real, and I did preface I saw it last night, I was like I saw this last night. And you looked at me and you were really bothered and I was confused at why, like, I just didn't think you thought it was funny. And then you're like, that was in the comedy show last night. And I have zero remembrance of that, like, in my head, it was a real, which is concerning. That I'm living through reels now, not real life, but. Anyways, Well, I'm trying to find our color of the year. I thought we did this. Maybe we didn't. Maybe it was our synesthesia episode, and that's where we talked about, we did that episode and we talked a lot about colors. I'm certain that we did some sort of color of the year episode. I'll keep looking. I have zero memory, but also I have zero memory of a lot of stuff. Even things I listened to yesterday, whether it was real life or. On Instagram. Well, maybe we did not do it, cause I can't find it. I'm sure we talked about colors and maybe it was the synesthesia episode that I'm thinking of, but. OK, so anyways, 2 years ago it was MCA. Yeah, I'm at a loss because. I thought we had like a color of the year and it was like a blue or a teal. But I guess that is just a false memory. That's what you thought going in 2025. That was your blue teal year. Yeah, I thought that was a thing, but apparently I'm 100% mistaken. OK, well, what is going into 2026? What is that color for you? Let's forget what Pantone says. What is, but I thought that, well, I don't know because I'll just have to apparently wait until next year and forget that we ever talked about Cloud dancer and come up with my own color because I thought there was a blue or teal. Is there a blue or teal that was some other company's color of the year? I don't know. I can't believe we didn't do this. OK, well, why are you looking that up? I asked AI what your color analysis is. What do you guess is your season? I would say winter or spring. Yes, -- winter or -- spring. According to this, I think it's cause he's using my phone cause that's shady, but according to them, you're also a soft summer. So, well, now the question becomes, is anyone not a soft summer? Does it just give soft summer to everybody? I on my phone at least, but look, OK, here is soft summer versus like spring. What color does look side by side better? I don't know, I would say 3/5 of soft summer and 2/5 of. Right, because look. These bright reds and yellows, see how your face, it looks more blotchy, not in a bad, like, I mean, yes, in a bad way, but I'm just saying like, but then when you use these soft summer, look how good your complexion looks. Isn't that crazy? I guess, -- but maybe everybody looks better with -- soft summer. No, I don't think so, cause you can look up other people. Some people look really good in spring or in autumn. It's just weird, or maybe not weird, I don't know. Do couples have the same color palette? I don't know. We're getting off into all kinds of theories here on non-existent reels, non-existent colors of the year. Yeah, -- it -- is a little bit over the place. It is, yes. It's because we're taking too much time like looking something up. My brain jumps to the next thing. And guys, this is what it's like to live in my brain, a million thoughts at one time. But maybe couples have a similar color palette, just like how when you live with your dog for a long time, you guys start looking alike. Maybe it's the color palette. It's the same theory. Perhaps so. So, I think. We'll have to do some more research or you, our listeners can let us know if you search for the Color of the Year episode and found it to be non-existent or maybe you did find it and you can put all my fears to ease that I am going crazy. And you can also let us know what you think of the particular color of the year this year, 2026, according to Pantone, named Cloud Dancer, and what your thoughts are on this particular color. Yeah, let us know if anyone actually likes this color. I mean, I have not encountered anybody that has actually liked it in any of the research that I've done on social media and things of that nature. Everybody seems to hate it. Can I tell people? When they come over. And if I haven't cleaned thoroughly, like if the kids spilled something and it's kind of getting gunky. I can just be like, oh, over there, that's our new color palette, color of 2026, cloud dancer, cloud dancer. So I'll just start telling people that when I don't fully clean our cab like cabinets, so they're a little dingy that week, I'll just say. That's our new. The modern popular 2026 color cloud dancer indeed. If you say it with confidence, maybe people will believe that it's intentional. I mean, the people at Pantone said it was pretty much confidence, and I don't think the internet believed them. Guess not. All right, very good. So if you did like this episode, do like, share, subscribe, and let us know what you think about Cloud Dancer or any of our other previous episodes or just the fact that we can't even remember our own previous episodes. So from your friends at I Hate Talking, until next time, remember, it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.