Issue #00004 : December 11th, 2025

Pantone just announced Cloud Dancer—a lofty white—as its 2026 Color of the Year, calling it “a whisper of tranquility” in our noisy world. The design community responded with a collective eye roll. Instagram lit up with comparisons to “landlord white” and even raw chicken breast. Designer Katie Feng Shui burned her Pantone swatch book on camera, telling nearly three million viewers the choice is “exploitative, tone-deaf, and full-out racist.” That last accusation feels like a reach, but the broader critique isn’t unfair: in a world starving for color and beauty, this is not the time for another soulless neutral.