Peach Fuzz is so 2024 that it started in 2023. This year’s selection for Pantone Color of the Year may be the most reflective of current color trends since Rose Quartz+ Serenity in 2016. If Viva Magenta (2023) and Veri Peri (2022) were trend-setting, Peach Fuzz is at least partway up the popularity curve.
We’ve been seeing soft tones, nature hues, desert color palettes, and pretty, vintage shades for a few years. Think sage green, blush pink, bird’s egg blue, and sandy tan. Peach Fuzz fits inside that comforting, clean, slow-motion moment.
Pantone Color of the Year 2024
Since 1999, Pantone has named a color of the year to “…engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around color.” In the past, interest has been limited to design professions. However, as the public has become more aware of color trends, the influence of the annual announcement has reached the level of household recognition.
In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless. – Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute™
Consumers have become more aware of popular colors — whether they are picking a phone case, choosing a bathroom color, or trying on a new sweater.
All About Peach Fuzz
The press releases surrounding this new color echo the word “warm” and all its synonyms. The color is indeed, warm and comforting — continuing our gentle tug away from post-pandemic fatigue. It’s safe but, not as boring as Classic Blue from 2020.
Poetic and romantic, a clean peach tone with a vintage vibe, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz reflects the past yet has been refashioned with a contemporary ambiance. – What is Peach Fuzz
This year’s selection perfectly reflects the current design climate — softening, nuanced, and complex. While the color could be dismissed as a kissing-cousin to millennial pink, I see it more as riding the wave of the revival of late 80s to early-90s pretty. Think of all those sun-soaked films shot with nylons over the camera lens and peach-blush supermodels staring coquettishly from glossy magazine spreads.
Overall, I wouldn’t be surprised if this tone is declared a new neutral. It’s a little bright for a background tone but, can balance out more saturated colors in a maximalist palette. With this in mind, I’m anticipating several Peach-Fuzz-influenced visual trends for 2024.
Peach Fuzz Predictions
Overall, I think mainstream consumers will gravitate toward simple, pretty visuals in 2024. While much of social media has become anti-aesthetic, don’t be surprised if some brands tighten up their feeds again in the coming year.
Sweetened Filters
I expect a return to sun-kissed filters with yellow and pink tones — starting as early as this winter.
Back-lighting and Sun Flares
Similarly, those sun flares (even the fake filter ones) and dreamy back-lighting will add a glow to photography.
Candle-light Colors
For a long time, cool white lighting has dominated photography while yellow lighting seemed dated. Don’t be surprised if warm lighting jumps back into vogue.
Aqua and Sand
Peachy tones coordinate with aqua and sand tones. I would expect those hues and other nature-inspired shades to rise alongside Peach Fuzz.
Pretty, Soft Fonts
With all the romance, I wouldn’t be surprised if designers whip up a fresh batch of pretty, soft fonts from bygone eras from art nouveau to the late 1970s. Don’t just focus on scripts and handwriting fonts. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of thin-lined, round-edged shapes in our letters.
Color Combinations with Peach Fuzz
I’ve put together several color combinations using Pantone’s Peach Fuzz to inspire your 2024 projects. As I was putting them together, I found myself appreciating this color as a neutral as much as a focal point.
For this first, folksy combination, images of weaving inspired me. I paired Peach Fuzz with saturated, yet earthy hues — like dyes made from natural sources.
This second combination plays on the verdant setting of peaches. Farm-inspired greens and yellows combine nicely with the color.
For a boho twist, I paired Peach Fuzz with deep crimson and muddy browns. Together, they remind me of a beautiful, textured dress you might find in a unique downtown shop.
Inspired by the holiday, I pulled some tones that are a retro pairing for Peach Fuzz. These popular 80s colors work well with the new hue.
Finally, I made a palette that I think we’ll see a lot in the coming year. Peach Fuzz looks lovely with vintage, beachy colors.
More Inspiration
This year, Pantone collaborated with several designers and influencers to jumpstart the trend. Below are some of their projects.
Ruggable, the original machine-washable rug, celebrates the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 with the Ruggable X Pantone Collection. The Ruggable x Pantone Collection harnesses Peach Fuzz’s cheerfulness to transcend seasons and inspire well-being in homes all year round with a comforting set of three rugs, a doormat, and a bath mat. These limited-edition, stain-resistant rugs and doormats will inspire cheerfulness, wellbeing, and a pop of positivity so anyone can create a space for creativity and expression in 2024 and beyond. SOURCE
Spoonflower’s partnership with Pantone for the Color of the Year 2024 brings together the authority in color and the authority in surface pattern design. Three distinguished Spoonflower Independent Artists have already unveiled new designs for print-on-demand wallpaper, fabric, and home decor, and the creativity continues in January with Spoonflower’s 2024 Pantone Color of the Year Design Challenge. SOURCE
Stay Inspired
For more color inspiration, jump over to my articles. I regularly post about website design, color palettes, typography, and other design prompts. As inspiration strikes, I generate lifestyle or educational content for publications. Most of it focuses on small businesses, supporting local initiatives, creative inspiration, and communication or marketing theory. On my profiles, you’ll find creative inspiration for your small business.
The Shop Shop Marketing Agency with Danielle Verderame
I am a writer first. I specialize in content-heavy websites, bringing together my 15 years of marketing background with my imaginative aesthetic. Most of the time, I optimize small business websites for search and social media. Through Verderame, LLC. I offer my services to small businesses who need assistance with their websites, content, and search engine optimization.
In 2023, I launched a boutique Virginia advertising agency under Verderame, LLC. called The Shop Shop. And it’s all focused on retail. Our small team specializes in marketing services for makers, eStores, and retailers. We’re ready to maintain, manage, and promote your store on any platform including WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, Square Online (Weebly), Comment Sold, Pinterest Shops, and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Shops.
If you’re looking for marketing help, email me at danielle@theshopshop.co.
