I was recently alerted to the new Pantone Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango.

I’m always interested—and admittedly, often baffled—by Pantone’s choice. Sometimes it makes perfect sense: turquoise was Color of the Year in 2010, and shades of aqua have dominated decorating magazines and catalogs ever since. Turquoise was obviously a prescient pick.

This year, however, I’m having a hard time figuring out what 2012’s honorary color even is. Pantone offers numerous products showcasing Tangerine Tango, but they are all are all very different shades of orange. There’s a mug, an iphone case, a messenger bag, and a journal, all of which range from tomato red to an almost peachy shade. Even the official fabric swatch and the chip don’t match. And none of them match the graphics on the site.

For a standard-bearer, Pantone should pay a bit more attention to color match. As it is, I can’t even say if I like Tangerine Tango. See the elusive Color of the Year here:
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/category.aspx?ca=88

Lexy Nesbitt is Dragonfly’s Design Manager. She is the recipient of numerous ADDY, Marcom, and Hermes Creative Awards, including for her identity for Dragonfly.