The world is currently undergoing significant change and some challenging times. This is also reflected in the latest Colors of the Year that Mankiewicz has just published for 2025. Our Mankiewicz design team visited various international trade fairs this year and, after much research and discussion, decided on the shades “Homecoming”, “Balance” and “Pulse” this year.
Homecoming
Home Coming stands for a return to the familiar in a personal or cultural context. It is about capturing the charisma of the known and familiar and invoking this “treasure” in form or color. In this way, a newly designed product can also convey a feeling of warmth and identity. Like a new sofa in a comforting, familiar shape, or the positive feeling we derive from traditional materials used in a modern building.
The green shade of “Homecoming” is a kind of time traveler that has left its mark in neoclassicism, Art Nouveau and the seventies, for example. Now it's back, speaking of the good old times, which is why it looks so familiar. The fine sparkle in the painted surface of “Homecoming” is reminiscent of the shimmer of velvet or a hand-glazed tile.
Balance
Life at present is brimming with challenges. The urgent need for sustainability has established itself as a permanent theme and we are repeatedly reminded of this by natural events that go completely out of control. A balance is currently being sought between what resources the world can supply and what people need in order to live. The sustainability of resources remains highly topical and presents an ongoing task for industry and design. Another important aspect to sustainability of materials is their durability. And this is not necessarily a physical property, rather an emotional one. Which products and materials do we like to surround ourselves with for many years? What ages well? Color palettes with timeless, quiet, less fashionable colors dominate here. What is also striking is the growing trend towards simple, natural materials such as wool, hemp and clay, coarse fabrics and wickerwork. They bring tranquility and simplicity to design concepts.
“Balance” has a fine structure in a warm, light wool shade. This effect functions as a visually and haptically pleasant and extremely fine surface. At the same time “Balance” interacts very well with the striking materials mentioned above and tends to mediate between them.
Pulse
Red is a color with an extremely strong character. From the clown's nose to the indispensable role of blood in horror movies to great refinement - red can be relied on to make a powerful impression.
“Pulse” also gives everything it has in this respect: the fine, matt effect and slightly dark red nuance lend it a mysterious and dramatic quality. The strong flop effect creates clear contrasts between light and dark and the shade could tell stories of distant worlds. However, when light falls on the shade, it appears to glow a delicate golden red from within. This creates the impression that something warm, almost poetic is taking place beneath the surface. This duality makes the shade exciting, because its surreal mixture fits well with the present: despite the world undergoing dramatic changes, hopes for better times spring eternal.
What is the significance of this annual selection of three colors?
It doesn't necessarily mean you should go out and buy your next pair of shoes in apricot or curtains in mint after they are announced. Nor is the aim for their immediate implementation by industry. It's more a kind of flirtation with the zeitgeist. Colors of the year are always topical, they should inspire, be fun and make you think. Those who publish colors of the year contribute to a lively, public discussion about current trends. Sometimes is does happen that the new colors find their way into the design of new products and interiors.
In the case of coatings, the design of the surface, such as its gloss level, structure and feel, adds to the color tone. This makes it a little more exciting, but certainly not easier.