Barely a couple of weeks into 2017 and we're already starting to talk trends for the coming year. There has been talk of the rise of the voice interface and the need to seriously consider this new form of UI in terms of design in the coming year and the continuation of adopting flatter, simpler designs to coincide with the increased demand for mobile content.

If we want to analyse trends we need look no further than PANTONE’s choice for “Colour of the Year”. For 2017, they have introduced “Greenery” which is “a refreshing and revitalised shade” and “symbolic of new beginnings”. Check out some of  PANTONE’s promotional rollout below:

So what does the “Colour of the Year” represent (other than as a marketing opportunity for PANTONE)? According to it, the colour represents “a snapshot of what we see taking place in our global culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.”

Every year, PANTONE, the global color authority, calls together a panel to select a color of the year. They review influences from the design world and beyond, looking to entertainment, art, popular travel destinations and even, in their own words, ‘new lifestyles and socio-economic conditions’. As such, PANTONE’s language for the promotion of this colour is all about using buzz words such as ‘zesty’, ‘natural’, ‘revive’ and ‘renew’.

It’s interesting to hear the Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute refer to this colour as the “reassurance we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment”. We can expect statements such as this will become more frequent throughout the year, from businesses as well as individuals, as a direct result of the events of 2016.

So this year, should we expect to see a lot of projects being influenced by ‘Greenery’? Time will tell on that one. Personally, I don’t recall seeing too many brands or campaigns being influenced too much by 2016’s pick of “Rose Quartz and Serenity”.