And the COLOR OF THE YEAR for 2025 is…
Did you know that there is a “Color of the Year?”
Pantone, a company founded in 1962 is known for creating the Pantone Matching System, which created a common and standardized “language” in color matching for industries like printing and graphic design. Every year the company chooses a Color of the Year (and there are thousands to choose from), with the chosen color said to be reflective of the prevailing “mood of the time.” This year’s color of the Year is PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse, a warm, rich brown color. The color is described as evocative, soft, and comforting.
The Color of the Year prompted a Swizzler discussion about our favorite colors and how our FAVORITES may vary from colors we’d choose for our promotional items.
ONE reason Why Color is Important in Marketing and Branding.
Color is crucial when choosing the right promotional merchandise. Color impacts emotion. Emotion is related to perception, and how the brand is perceived can mean the difference between success and failure of a company or organization. So understanding the Psychology of color (which is simply too big a topic for today), is quite important in our line of work. For example, Navy Blue (our #1 MOST sold color) invokes a feeling of trust and professionalism. Yellow represents calm and joy, but a different shade can also denote caution or danger. The color Red (our LEAST sold color) being bold, represents urgency, energy and passion.
Favorite Colors aren’t necessarily the RIGHT color for the job and it’s important to be able to take an objective look at the message being conveyed when making merchandise choices for your brand.
So What are our Swizzler’s favorite colors?
When polled, every Swizzle team member chose a different personal favorite color. However, each unbeknownst to the other, also mentioned loving our new Pink and Orange color scheme. Perhaps that means it was a good choice!
Hannah:
Orange is my favorite color, although I don’t wear it a lot or incorporate into many things I buy. I love seeing color everywhere! Tie dye shirts and hoodies are a favorite of mine and I especially like to dress my kids in them while I still can. I tend to wear maroons, teals and navy’s. For merch items, it depends on what the client’s needs are and what the item is. I love Swizzle’s pink and orange era right now! The friendship bracelets, water bottles and t-shirts we use for self-promo are amazing but also, wouldn’t work for everyone.
Lisa:
My current favorite color is deep teal, but my favorite colors change quickly, and I am fickle when it comes to color. I love my new deep teal bedspread, but at the same time would never have a car that color because I know I will change my mind about it shortly. I used to hate pink, but now I am obsessed. The pink and orange we are using now for our Swizzle brand feels playful and happy, and represents us well.
Monica:
My favorite color is green. But I do think a nice crisp white car with tinted windows is so nice & clean looking. I love colorful things, but I tend to always gravitate toward neutral/earth colors within my own wardrobe. At home I love to accessorize my neutral furniture with pops of wild patterns or colors, though not too much! I especially love the Swizzle pink and orange. Our latest retro inspired T-shirt design incorporates both of those colors and it’s super fun!
Monique:
Blue is my favorite color, but there is a specific grayish blue (Pantone 2374C is a good example) that I just love. To me it is just a calm, peaceful color and I do think it could go on most things. However, I can’t imagine Swizzle using a blue like that. Knowing our brand, the orange/pink combo is perfect for us. My attire is made of a lot of black, blue and gray, but I do like to wear other colors. My favorite sweatshirts are always navy blue.
Learn more about the color of the year here PANTONE® USA | Pantone Color of the Year 2025
Learn more about swizzlers here Swizzle Reno – Swizzle Brand Solutions Reno
This article was written by
Swizzle staff contributor
Dr. Monique Stanfield, Psy.D
