Opinion: Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year, “Mocha Mousse,” Is an Absolute Disaster
December 6th, 2024
When Pantone announced its 2025 Color of the Year, “Mocha Mousse,” I had to double-check the date. Was it April Fool’s Day? Sadly, no. Pantone really expects us to embrace a color that looks like literal poop.
Let’s not mince words: “Mocha Mousse” is an aesthetic abomination. Brown can be warm and inviting, but this shade is the exact opposite—uninspired, murky, and downright unappetizing. Instead of signaling creativity, it looks like someone decided to paint the world with the contents of a clogged toilet.
A Missed Opportunity
Pantone bills “Mocha Mousse” as “grounding” and “reassuring.” Grounding, maybe—if your idea of grounding involves burying yourself in mediocrity. This shade isn’t reassuring; it’s depressing. It’s the color of regret, stagnation, and bad decisions. Where past Colors of the Year like “Viva Magenta” and “Classic Blue” offered vibrancy and optimism, “Mocha Mousse” feels like the design equivalent of giving up.
Social Media Is Not Impressed
Social media wasted no time in tearing Pantone apart. Memes comparing “Mocha Mousse” to everything from dirty diapers to sewage are flooding platforms like X and Instagram. The hashtags #PoopTone2025 and #BrownBlunder are trending for all the wrong reasons.
One viral post summed it up perfectly: “Pantone, we were looking for a beacon of hope in 2025. You gave us poop.”
Who Is This For?
Designers? No. Fashionistas? Absolutely not. Interior decorators? Only if they’ve decided to make their clients cry. The truth is, “Mocha Mousse” isn’t for anyone. It’s a baffling choice that alienates consumers while offering zero practical applications. Imagine walking into a room painted in this shade—it would feel like stepping into a porta-potty.
Even fast-food chains, which lean heavily on browns for branding, are rejecting this mess. A McDonald’s spokesperson cheekily remarked, “We’re lovin’ it—just not on our packaging.”
Pantone, Do Better
The world deserves better than “Mocha Mousse.” In a time when people crave boldness, inspiration, and joy, Pantone has delivered nothing but disappointment. This shade doesn’t reflect resilience; it reflects the color of everything we’ve flushed away.
Pantone, I implore you: reconsider this travesty. Issue a mea culpa, choose a real Color of the Year, and let “Mocha Mousse” fade into the obscurity it so richly deserves. Because right now, it’s not just a bad color—it’s an insult to the entire concept of design.
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