The Color Of The Year

Context
Every year, the announcement of Pantone’s Color of the Year garners global attention, influencing trends across design, fashion, and culture. For 2025, Pantone revealed 17-1230 Mocha Mousse, a soft and inviting shade meant to evoke comfort and subtle sophistication.

But for many, 2025 is far from a year of comfort. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza paints a starkly different picture. Amid a devastating conflict, the dusty browns of rubble and deep tones of suffering tragically mirror the Pantone’s Color of the year. This haunting coincidence inspired a powerful campaign that turned Pantone’s announcement into a platform for advocacy.

Idea

We launched an initiative that juxtaposed the warmth of Pantone’sColor of the Year with the stark, poignant imagery of life in Gaza. Through carefully curated visuals and narratives, we revealed how "Mocha Mousse" unintentionally mirrors the dominant shades of a city torn apart by war. The campaign challenged viewers to question:
 In the face of the injustices and conflicts shaking our world, can we truly believe that this soft, warm color captures the essence of our world?! What if, instead, this color represents the shocking reality of our time?Objectives
Raise Awareness: Redirect global attention from a superficial trend to the critical humanitarian crisis in Gaza, using the platform of Pantone’s global influence.
Engage Emotionally: Create a powerful emotional connection by contrasting the warmth of Mocha Mousse with the devastating reality of Gaza’s conflict.
Mobilize Action: Encourage tangible support for Gaza through donations, petitions, and spreading awareness via the campaign’s hashtags and shared content.
Spark Dialogue: Challenge the design, fashion, and cultural industries to reflect on their role in amplifying or ignoring global injustices, using this campaign as a case study in ethical storytelling.