Living Coral is 2019 color of the year, the shade of sea reefs and sunsets

It's the color of underwater reefs hanging on for dear life. The sky at dusk. Some of the latest iPhones and the latest looks on the runways of Marc Jacobs and other top fashion designers. Living Coral has been chosen by the Pantone Color Institute as its 2019 color of the year. (Pantone Color Institute via AP)          

Seems like the digital age, with so many folks attached to their phones paying more attention to the internet than actual reality, has led to next year’s color of the year.

Living Coral has been chosen by the Pantone Color Institute as its 2019 selection.

“With everything that’s going on today, we’re looking for those humanizing qualities because we’re seeing online life dehumanizing a lot of things,” Laurie Pressman, the company’s vice president, told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday’s annual color unveiling. “We’re looking toward those colors that bring nourishment and the comfort and familiarity that make us feel good. It’s not too heavy. We want to play. We want to be uplifted.”

Living Coral is the color of underwater reefs hanging on for dear life. The sky at dusk. Some of the latest iPhones and the latest looks on the runways of top fashion designers.

Pressman considers this saturated orange base with a golden undertone not only warm and welcoming, but versatile and life-affirming. It energizes with a softer edge than, say, its pastel and neon cousins.

Pressman also sees a retro vibe to Living Coral, in the same way a softer version of the 2018 pick, Ultra Violet, is the shade of some gray heads when hair toners bring on a turn to purple.

“It’s the emotional nourishment. It’s a big hug,” she said of Living Coral.

The color also points to a long and often painful slog over the last decade or so through financial market scares and political crises to environmental chaos and the rise of social media, where saturated color presides, Pressman said.

“We’re seeing so much more saturated color,” she said. “That’s the influence of social media because people want things to stand out. This is definitely a color you see on social media.”

Living Coral is vivifying, but it’s “not so overpowering and in your face,” she said. “It’s bright enough, and engaging.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.