Stack of white papers with edge of one red sheet showing

The Power of Almost Nothing

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Earlier this winter, I mentioned how much I’ve been noticing neutrals — how much nuance they hold if you slow down long enough to see it.

Now Pantone® has named Cloud Dancer the 2026 Color of the Year — a soft, almost-white meant to offer calm in a noisy world.

It’s a bold choice. Choosing something this close to “nothing” says a lot.

I understand the appeal of quiet. And yet, I’m instinctively drawn to color — even the smallest element can inject a note of energy.

Neutrals can feel luminous. But they can also fall flat if the content underneath isn’t strong.

If you’re considering a lighter direction this year, here are a few ways to make it feel intentional rather than empty:

• Let the message carry weight. When you’re working with a restrained palette, clear positioning, strong headlines, and confident language become even more important.

• Support the message with imagery. Thoughtful photography and subtle tonal variation keep a neutral palette from feeling flat.

• Use color sparingly but purposefully. A small accent — a rule, a callout, a single image — can energize the whole piece.

And if you’re craving calm, Pantone has released the usual collection of Cloud Dancer products — notebooks, Post-its, even Play-Doh — all in what is, essentially, white.

What a Snowy Morning Taught Me About Color Palettes and Visual Design

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Neutral winter street scene in Richmond with warm and cool tones, shown alongside a custom five-color palette used for visual design inspiration.

Design inspiration often appears in the most ordinary moments—especially when you pay attention to color, texture, and contrast. Here’s how a neutral scene I came across this week revealed a few useful insights about color palettes and visual design.

Yesterday’s snowfall and gray light had me thinking about neutrals. While stopped at a traffic light downtown, I snapped a quick photo of a quiet, almost colorless scene. Even in that moment, there was plenty to notice: warm and cool tones playing against each other, subtle textures in the surfaces, and a tiny sliver of red adding a bit of energy. Neutrals don’t have to be boring—the closer you look, the more interesting they get.

When I got back to my desk, I pulled a five-color palette directly from that photo—four gentle neutrals and that unexpected pop of red. It’s always interesting to see what appears when you let the image guide the palette. Even a boring snapshot can reveal a balanced set of hues with depth, contrast, and personality. For designers, moments like these are a reminder that inspiration doesn’t always come from big, colorful scenes.

And now that Pantone has announced their (very neutral!) 2026 Color of the Year, it feels like the perfect time to appreciate what a restrained palette can do. It’s always interesting to see how these annual choices shift from year to year—if you want to take a look back, you can revisit my 2025 Color of the Year review of Mocha Mousse here.

You can read Pantone’s official announcement here as well.

If this has you thinking about design in your own world—your brand, your materials, or anything you’re planning for the new year—feel free to reach out. Thoughtful color can make a surprisingly big difference in your overall visual design.

And if you’re considering updates to your brand for 2026, even small palette refinements can help you tell a clearer story.

I’m always glad to talk through ideas or help you explore how color can support your goals for the new year.

2025 Color Trend: Pantone’s Mocha Mousse

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Every January, I look forward to exploring Pantone’s Color of the Year selection with you. For 2025, they’ve chosen Mocha Mousse – a sophisticated neutral that brings warmth and subtlety to the design world. Think of it as the perfect “supporting actor” in your color story – capable of bringing depth without overshadowing your brand’s primary palette.

You might be wondering – if you’re not in fashion, interior design, or beauty, does this year’s color really matter to your business? Actually, it might! While Mocha Mousse is already making waves across runways and home decor, it can also give your marketing materials a fresh, current feel. The key is finding smart ways to work with this trend while staying true to your brand standards. That’s where this particular color really shines – its neutral nature makes it easier to incorporate than some of the bolder Colors of the Year we’ve seen in the past. Even better, it plays well with almost any existing brand palette, making it a surprisingly practical choice for 2025.

Ready to give it a try? Here are some smart ways to work with this trend:

  • Use Mocha Mousse in backgrounds or textures for your presentations, social media templates, or marketing materials – it’ll add sophistication without competing with your brand colors.
  • Look for photos with similar earth tones to subtly echo this trend while staying true to your brand. Think natural materials, lifestyle shots, or architectural elements.
  • Add small touches to your workspace. Check out Pantone’s collection of Mocha Mousse-inspired items, or use it as an accent in your presentation designs.

7 Questions That Will Make Your Next Project a Success

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Whether you’re undertaking your first marketing project, or your one-hundred-and-first, it can be an overwhelming task. The right first steps can make the process smooth, and the outcome successful. I initially compiled this list with annual reports in mind, but these tips can help you plan any project, from a presentation to a rebrand. Answering these seven questions will ensure a strong start:
1. What is your main message? Can you sum up the year in just a few words? This will guide the choices you make about content, and influence the format and design. It’s not essential to have a theme for your report, but if a clear one emerges, it’s helpful.
2. What is the purpose of this piece? Does it need to garner stakeholder support, encourage donations, educate a new audience, or function as your primary marketing vehicle?
3. Who is your audience? What do they want, and need, to know? If they’re longtime stakeholders, they may be most interested in new developments, and if they’re new, they’d probably appreciate an introduction to your organization. Thinking about who you’re talking to is just as important as what you say to them.
4. How will the piece be structured? Organizing content by program, service or product is common, as is a chronological layout of the past year’s activities and future plans. Consider more unique options too, such as “A Day in the Life,” or a focus on people – profiling select clients, staff, and donors.
5. How will project management be handled? Most projects have multiple moving parts – assigning and gathering content and photos; managing approvals and timelines; coordinating production. A collaborative effort usually works best, and the earlier in the process you can identify who will be responsible for every detail, and what those details are, the better.
6. What trends will you adopt? In addition to industry-specific trends you’ll want to consider, these general trends are applicable for everyone:
  • Creating multiple formats These may include a printed piece, interactive publication, microsite and/or video to appeal to all audiences.
  • Incorporating infographics They’re not new, but are still a popular and effective way to present data points.
  • Choosing sustainability Use recycled paper, limit the number of print copies and utilize digital formats when it makes sense.
7. What format will work best? While a printed, 8.5″ x 11″ format has long been the norm for collateral, it’s not always the best option. Will your report be mailed, handed out, or distributed electronically? All of the above? Your story may be best told in a small booklet, a poster or infographic, or possibly a microsite or animated digital publication.
Bonus: How can a professional help? Answering the preceding questions will lay the groundwork for a successful project, and collaborating with professionals will make it happen. Their familiarity with the process will ensure that production goes smoothly and your stress level stays low. An experienced firm (like E. Strategic Design) will seamlessly weave your narrative and data points, turning a dry, stat-filled report into an engaging form of communication.

A serious, but sunny forecast for 2021

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I love color. Whether it’s selecting hues for a client project, mixing colors for a painting, or soaking up the vivid palette that Mother Nature gifts us, experiencing color makes my heart sing. For this reason, I’m especially curious every year to discover which color will be crowned “Pantone® Color of the Year.” As 2021 approached I was especially vexed; would Pantone select a somber tone, reflective of the world’s current mood? Or would they choose a color that expressed hope and optimism for better days ahead? Well, if you’ve seen the announcement you know that Pantone selected two colors for 2021, and I think they perfectly express the duality of the moment. The pairing of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (yellow) is serious and hopeful.
Pantone’s Color of the Year reflects color trends in fashion, beauty, design and home decor, but if you’re not in one of those industries, should you even care? Maybe. Using an on-trend color or two can instantly update your image, but must still work with your organization’s brand guidelines. If your company doesn’t yet have a palette of secondary brand colors, this may be the perfect time to develop one, and to consider including gray and/or yellow.
· Expand your palette to include a handful of secondary colors, and gain flexibility and freshness for communications. They add clarity to charts and graphs, and differentiation by color coding product lines or services.
· Your palette should include a mix of warm and cool, light and dark colors. It’s important to have tones that are legible for copy, that work against light and dark backgrounds, and that provide contrast.
· Include a neutral gray in your secondary color palette. Choose a warm or cool tone, to complement your main brand colors. Gray gives the eye a rest, is a great background color, and a softer alternative to black for applications where that’s too harsh.
· If you’re missing a bright, warm tone, a shade of yellow could work perfectly. It complements other bright shades, and can also add a vibrant punch to a subdued, monochromatic palette.