Dive Brief:

• Color software developer Pantone Color Institute has announced its 2016 Color of the Year, and it is, for the first time, a pairing of two colors — Serenity and Rose Quartz, which are slightly dustier versions of perennial pastels baby blue and blush pink.
• Pantone said the blend of these two colors, which are so connected with gender symbolism, is meant to represent the fluidity of gender today in both fashion and modern culture.
• Pantone is a leader in color trends, but other major color industry players have released their Color of the Year selections for 2016 as well. Sherwin-Williams selected "Alabaster," Benjamin Moore favors "Simply White," Glidden opted for "Cappuccino White," and Behr chose "Bowstring" and "Ivory Keys." As far as color trends go, these selections are standouts because of their simplicity, as they are all shades of white.

Dive Insight:

But exactly how much influence does the Color of the Year selection have in the interior design industry? Some designers, like Keri Olson of KOR Interior Design in St. Paul, MN, plan to combine the new colors with contemporary color palettes of browns and grays. "Mixing metals with these two colors will be fun," she told the Star Tribune.

However, some designers, particularly those who work with commercial buildings, are indifferent to the color choices that come and go, choosing to focus instead on color schemes that have longevity.

In a blog post earlier this year for K4 Architecture in Cincinnati, interior designer Shannon McGill opined on Pantone’s "color of the year" impact on her job as a designer of commercial spaces. "Your space should support your message and organization," McGill wrote. "It should convey how you would like your customers to perceive you and make them feel when they walk through the doors. It’s all about you and your brand not what Pantone executives tell you it should be."

Still, the chosen Colors of the Year will likely guide the paint and interior choices of designers and clients in 2016. And staying up to date with the hottest color trends can give designers a leg up on competition.

This year's color selections deviate from previous, bolder Pantone selections like Marsala, Radiant Orchid, Emerald, Tangerine Tango and Honeysuckle.