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E ach year, Pantone attempts to inter- pret the zeitgeist through the lens of color theory—mining the likes of fashion, design and interiors for clues. And it's no stranger to making unconven- tional picks: In 2016, the company chose a gradient made out of two shades, Rose Quartz and Serenity, to reflect a year defined by shifting gender politics. In 2020, not one but two colors—Ultimate Gray and Illumi- nating (a vibrant yellow)—were selected to capture both the resilience and optimism shown during the first year of the pandemic. The annual task of forecasting the color that will best reflect the year ahead has been a more than 20-year endeav- or, beginning as a desire to cul- tivate conversa- tions around the power of color, says Eiseman. "We first did color of the year to get people talk- ing about (the role of) color," she said. "And once you get them talking about it, you then create a buzz and the realization hits them: color is such an integral part of our everyday lives, but we take it for granted." In 2021, the company was inspired by a new vertical: technology. From NFTs (non- fungible tokens) and space shuttle joyrides to Mark Zuckerberg's promise of the meta- verse, the year was characterized by our increasing reliance on automation and the digital realm. It's a relationship that partly spurred on Pan- tone's decision to work with Micro- soft, among other partners, for its Color of the Year launch. Very Peri, for ex- ample, will be integrated into a range of Microsoft apps in the form of digital screensav- ers and interface options for Power- Point, Teams, Edge and Windows. "It's astounding to me that I will hear people talking about the color of the year, people that aren't otherwise connected to color in any way."