Well, it’s official! The Pantone Color of the Year is Mocha Mousse! It’s a rich, warm brown that’s not too dark or too light and can carry throughout each season. It gives off a sense of luxury and indulgence—like a bowl of chocolate mousse.

Some other notable color trends we can expect this year are pastels like we’ve seen for Spring/Summer 2025 from the Paris Fashion Show (insert a The Devil Wears Prada joke here) and denim blues.

But have you ever wondered about the world of color and how it works beyond the retinas and cones in our eyes? How did we index our vast spectrum? And what does that have to do with promotional products?

The Pantone Origin

As a species with an advanced grasp of language, we have always had a proclivity for naming things—something that has extended to colors since we began producing paints and inks. These names usually stemmed from what was used to produce those colors, mummy brown being a particularly morbid example. And while there have been color systems dating back to the 17th century, there had never been a standard global system to match colors.

Enter American ornithologist Robert Ridgway.

NPR said it best: “Pantone’s precursors are rooted in the need to describe the natural world.”

Ridgway stated that the color systems of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were “unsuited for the use of the zoologist, the botanist, the pathologist, or the mineralogist,” and he was frustrated by confusing names. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Ridgway produced the self-published work Color Standards and Color Nomenclature in 1912, setting the groundwork for Pantone.

Pantone was originally a commercial printing company (Hello, industry friends!) that was founded by two brothers in the 1950s under a completely different name, M & J Levine Advertising. It wasn’t until Lawrence Herbert started with the company that he ran into the same problem that had befallen Robert Ridgway: there wasn’t a way to describe a color accurately. In fact, customers would have to send in a sample of the color that they wanted. Matching could be challenging, and while they could get close, it wasn’t exact.

Herbert realized that if this was a problem in the printing industry, it was most likely a problem in others, too. By producing proprietary formulas with the matching system, Herbert was able to create a common language. From there Pantone was able to send samples and other marketing materials to a plethora of industries.

This marketing move has transformed Pantone from a print shop into the experts in the world of color—so much so that they’re even the go-to creators when a new color is needed. Ever wonder how Tiffany got its blue or Coca-Cola got its red?

Since the first fan book was published in the 1960s, Pantone swatches have grown from a modest 500 to over 2000, giving a universal language to colors to last an eternity and a way for us to celebrate how beautifully bright our world is.

Pantone & Promo

The Pantone Color of the Year also significantly influences the promo industry by shaping trends in product design and branding. As the chosen color sets the tone for creative direction across industries (not just fashion!), it provides an opportunity for distributors and suppliers both to align their offerings with the current trends, appealing to clients who want modern, stylish promotional items.

Each year’s chosen color often serves as a powerful marketing tool. And because colors evoke specific emotions and associations, the Pantone Color of the Year can also resonate with particular industries or demographics, helping distributors target niche markets more effectively.

By staying informed and incorporating the Color of the Year into their offerings, promotional product professionals can provide innovative solutions, inspire clients with fresh ideas, and reinforce their position as forward-thinking branding partners.

What do you think about this year’s pick? Are your clients asking for Mocha Mousse promos yet? Let us know in the comments below!

Want to look back at a few previous Pantone color trends over the years? Click here!