Colour specialist Pantone has announced Peach Fuzz as its 2024 colour of the year, a subtle orangey hue that was chosen to express a yearning for community and cosiness during uncertain times.

Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz was described by the Pantone Colour Institute as "softly nestled between pink and orange".

"Peach Fuzz is a compassionate and nurturing soft peach shade whose heartfelt kindness and all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul," said the institute's vice president Laurie Pressman.

"At a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, the Pantone Colour of the Year 2024 expresses our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion as well as our imaginings and desire for a more peaceful future," she told Dezeen.

The warm and subtle shade was also chosen for its ability to "bring beauty to the digital world".

The Pantone Colour Institute is the trend-forecasting arm of the Pantone company. Since 1999, the institute has chosen an annual colour that it feels best represents both the current mood and looks towards the year ahead.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the programme, the gentle Peach Fuzz was based on a culmination of research conducted throughout 2023.

As well as "all areas of design", the institute team monitored the entertainment industry and films currently in production, as well as travelling art collections, emerging artists and the fashion world, Pressman said.

"Aspirational travel destinations, new lifestyles, playstyles, or enjoyable escapes and socio-economic conditions," are all considered, according to the vice president.

"Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures and effects that impact colour, and also relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention," she added.

"Most of all, we keep our eyes and ears open to the hopes and aspirations that many people share with us and which help us to provide the symbolic colour that best represents those feelings," noted Pressman.

Pantone Viva Magenta 18-1750 was named colour of the year for 2023. According to the company, Peach Fuzz is a natural progression from last year's vibrant reddish-pink shade, which was described as "brave and fearless".

"Our colour of the year for 2024 reflects an evolution from last year's colour, rather than a sharp break," explained Pressman.

The vice president said that during a moment in time when a focus on our collective physical and mental wellbeing is paramount, Peach Fuzz encapsulates a need for a strong sense of community.

"It is a colour whose nurturing and cosy sensibility brings people together and elicits a feeling of tactility," she said.

"The Pantone Colour of the Year is a colour we see crossing all areas of design – a colour that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude on the part of the consumers, a colour that will resonate around the world, a colour that reflects what people are looking for and what they feel they need that colour can hope to answer," concluded Pressman.

The colour Veri Peri won the title for 2022 – a Pantone hue that was informed by the rise of the metaverse as well as the impact of coronavirus lockdowns.

Shortly afterwards, interiors expert Michelle Ogundehin criticised the choice, claiming in a Dezeen opinion piece that "it's time to reconsider the whole colour of the year carnival".

The images are courtesy of Pantone unless otherwise stated.