Celebrating the 2021 Pantone Colours of the Year With Stationery!
Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute selects a colour to represent the zeitgeist of the upcoming calendar year. Inspired by the world of design, the colour will also start appearing in everything from fashion to graphic design — and from home furnishings to stationery!
If you’ve been paying attention to the special edition releases the last few years from popular brands like Lamy and Kaweco, you’ll likely be very familiar with past Pantone Colours of the Year. Some very notable highlights can be found in 2019’s “Living Coral” and 2016’s “Rose Quartz” (you might know this colour as the infinitely-popular Millennial Pink!), which popped up in so many special edition stationery releases that it would be impossible to make a comprehensive list!
To represent 2021, Pantone has broken with tradition, selecting two colours instead of one. “Ultimate Gray” represents being solid and dependable, as well as having a solid foundation for any beginning. “Illuminating” represents positivity, as is typically associated with such a vibrant yellow. Together, they are intended to show resiliency and hope in the face of tough obstacles.
Though the colours of the year will likely start popping up more in upcoming special edition releases over the next few years, it is never too early to get some Ultimate Gray or Illuminating onto your desk! Here are some of our best stationery matches for Pantone’s colours of the year.
What’s your favourite match for the Pantone Colour of the Year, past or present? Let us know in the comments!
Ultimate Gray
Pelikan Moonstone
Pelikan Moonstone is a special edition release for 2020. Moonstone is a mid-grey with tons of sparkles and shimmer! You can get this pen in ballpoint pen or fountain pen versions. You can also pick up the gorgeous matching fountain pen and ink, which features an Edelstein ink that is almost a perfect match for Ultimate Gray.
Appointed Workbook - Dove Grey
The notebooks from Appointed all have gorgeous colours, but Dove Grey is a near-perfect match for Ultimate Gray! Appointed’s bookcloth covers are sturdy and feel so nice to touch, and the workbook size is perfect to take to school or to the office. We currently have the Dove Grey workbooks in dot grid, or you can try Dove Grey in pocket notebooks in blank and lined.
Kaweco Skyline Sport Fountain pen - Grey
The grey Kaweco Skyline Sport is a great everyday carry pen. Despite being a tiny pocket pen, it becomes full-sized when posted, making it a comfortable pen to write with for both quick notes and long writing sessions. Both light and durable, the Kaweco Sport skyline series is an affordable option for students and beginners.
Palomino Blackwing Two-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpener
Palomino Blackwing Two-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpener is one of the best accessories from one of our favourite brands. The Two-Step Long Point Sharpener was recently redesigned to make it even better, and it comes in a grey that is reminiscent of Ultimate Gray! It also goes quite well with the Palomino Blackwing 602 pencils, which have a glossy grey body.
TWSBI Eco Cement Grey
The TWSBI Eco Cement Grey is another 2020 special edition that anticipated Ultimate Gray! The Eco is a beloved option with a large following because of its special edition colours, smooth nibs, and high ink capacity. With its demonstrator body, it will also be a great match for a grey ink!
Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same
The Iroshizuku inks from Pilot are one of the most sought-after collections in the fountain pen community because of how wet and smooth they write, even in stubborn pens. Kiri-Same is a fairly good match for the medium Ultimate Gray, and it is one of our favourite neutral inks! You can also find more grey ink recommendations in our previous blog.
Illuminating
Caran D’Ache 351 Classic Graphite Pencil
Is there anything more ubiquitous with learning and schoolyard days than a yellow pencil? Your favourite HB pencil got a grown-up makeover with the Caran D’Ache 351 Classic Graphite Pencil. Like the combination of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating suggests, this pencil can remind you of how far you’ve come — and just how far you can reach in the future.
Delfonics Inner Carrying case - Yellow
The Delfonics Inner Carrying Case in yellow is such a cheery addition to any desk or book bag! Available in small and medium, there will be enough pockets for all of your favourite writing supplies, from stickers to pencil crayons! You can also grab the matching yellow Delfonics 7-Pocket Pen Roll.
MacLellan Books Hardcover Notebooks
MacLellan Books is one of our favourite brands in the store, and we love having this hyper-local collaboration! When you use a MacLellan Books notebook, you know that you’re using something made with intense care. The yellow clothbound notebooks are a great option for bullet journaling and note-taking, and they are currently available in dot grid and lined.
Monteverde Tool Pen
The perfect tool for every adventurer and tinkerer, the Monteverde Tool Pen has so many extra features that it might be the last multi-tool you ever need. The pen features two screwdrivers (Phillips and flathead), a level, and rulers and scales of all kinds! The yellow version, which matches Illuminating, is currently available in a fountain pen and a ballpoint pen.
Sailor Manyo Yamabuki
We’ll admit, yellow inks aren’t the most popular in the world, and it can be hard to find a good yellow! Luckily, Sailor Manyo Yamabuki is a great, well-writing ink that matches Illuminating when used in a finer nib. The Manyo series is known for the unique shading and colours, and Yamabuki is no different; in a broader nib, the shading will make this ink a sunset yellow-orange!
Platinum Procyon - Citron Yellow
Just a bit more pastel than Illuminating, the Platinum Procyon in Citron Yellow is a great mid-range fountain pen! With a slightly springy nib, medium weight, and twist-cap, this pen is a favourite for professionals and artists. It also features Platinum’s slip-and-seal mechanism, so your pen will be ready to write whenever you are!