Pantone Color of the Year 2025: A Warm Welcome to Mocha Mousse
A new year means fresh beginnings. It means exciting possibilities and trend forecasts that shape the year ahead. Among the most anticipated reveals is the Pantone Color of the Year announcement, a tradition that has inspired designers, brands, and creators worldwide for over 20 years. Time to welcome the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 – Mocha Mousse (PANTONE 17-1230), a rich, versatile hue that feels both grounding and effortlessly modern.
Why do color trends like the Pantone Color of the Year (COTY) matter so much? Because color is undoubtedly one of the most influential design elements. One that can communicate beyond language barriers and definite the mood and personality of a design.
But why does a single color trend hold so much weight? Buckle up, because we’re delving into the world of Mocha Mousse, exploring its significance, application possibilities, and potential influence on upcoming design trends.
The Pantone Color of the Year 2025, Mocha Mousse (PANTONE 17-1230), is a delicate and warm brown. Mocha Mousse is a unique color that combines the warm embrace of a morning coffee and the grounding richness of damp earth.
It’s earthy and organic but at the same time, it feels chic and modern. Hence this harmonious shade captures a sense of comfort and calm, evoking feelings of connection to nature while offering a touch of everyday indulgence. The timeless appeal of the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 and its versatility make it a perfect choice for creating designs that are both inviting and sophisticated.
“For Pantone Color of the Year 2025, we look to a mellow brown hue whose inherent richness and sensorial and comforting warmth extends further into our desire for comfort, and the indulgence of simple pleasures that we can gift and share with others.”
–Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute.
What makes the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 an intriguing choice?
One of the biggest challenges with color trends is that not all of them are easy to adopt. But Mocha Mousse (PANTONE 17-1230) stands apart with its versatility and subtlety.
Whether you wish to perceive this as a brown that represents something mellow and grounded or something luxurious this unique color seamlessly suits diverse applications. Besides, it is also an easy color when it comes to building a palette. Because neutrals like Mocha Mousse are easily accessible choices.
In addition to all this, let’s take a moment to appreciate the emotional depth of the Pantone Color of the Year 2025.
Every year, the Pantone Color Institute chooses colors that reflect major cultural shifts and the overall moods that resonate best with people around the world. This year, the earthy brown Mocha Mousse feels close to nature. As highlighted by Laurie Pressman, the color is about everyday indulgences. Therefore, there is a soft human touch to this color. This makes it an apt color for the time when AI and technology are dominating the world. For a time when people are craving a human connection, an organic emotion.
Finally, there is the versatility of Mocha Mousse. Whether you plan to use it as the main color or a supporting neutral that infuses a subtle harmony into your design, Mocha Mousse is a color that adapts effortlessly, making it an ideal trend for 2025.
Where does Mocha Mousse fit into the Pantone COTY lineup?
One thing to notice about the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 is that in the Pantone COTY lineup for the past two decades, there haven’t been many browns. The last brown hue worth mentioning is the Pantone Color of the Year 2015 – Marsala (PANTONE 18-1438) which is a distinct red-brown earthy hue.
From the vibrant Viva Magenta of 2023 to the warm fuzzy Peach Fuzz of 2024 the Pantone Colors of the Year have often been swaying between muted shades to statement hues. However the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 falls in a sweet spot between these extremes with its elegant tone.
Now, let’s talk about brand partners and campaigns that demonstrate the relevance and application of Mocha Mousse in real-life scenarios.
Pantone Brand Partners for Mocha Mousse
Pantone’s marketing strategy has always been an interesting topic of discussion. After all, becoming an influential authority in the creative space, selling a single chosen color as one of the biggest trends of the year takes serious marketing skills.
To achieve this, Pantone works with brands in diverse segments to showcase the meaning of the chosen Pantone Color of the Year and to demonstrate its applications. In addition to this, Pantone also organizes an elaborate event for the COTY announcement which often provides users with an immersive presentation to introduce the color, the story behind the decision and its relevance to the current cultural and global perspective.
This year, Pantone also partnered with Lastminute.com and lit up the London Eye in Mocha Mousse. The tangible presentation of the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 and its launch to the public through a unique channel was indeed a creative move to create buzz.
Finally, there have also been an increase in the brand partners this year. Besides long-standing partners like Motorola and Spoonflower, there are also some new brands that have joined the league.
1. Motorola
Motorola has announced a Mocha Mousse variant in their latest bestseller smartphone models, Edge 50 Neo and Razr 50 Ultra.
We must say that Mocha Mousse truly works like a charm on gadgets. Evidently, it adds to the sleek and sophisticated appeal of these two Motorala phones.
This partnership highlights how color trends can be handy in driving momentum toward specific product lines or products in focus. These could be your new launches or bestsellers you wish to boost sales.
2. Spoonflower
Neutrals that feel close to nature have always had a special place in the world of interior design and home furnishings. Therefore, Spoonflower the custom home decor brand has partnered with Pantone and has embraced the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 with their new collection created by independent artists.
In addition to new product launches, Spoonflower is also riding the wave through customer design challenges featuring Mocha Mousse. This helps improve the reach and visibility of the brand and most importantly, their engagement.
3. Libratone
Another brand demonstrating the contemporary tone of Mocha Mousse is Libratone. This popular audio accessories brand has announced a Mocha Mousse variant of their recently launched Libratone UP headphones.
A partnership that demonstrates the simplicity of Mocha Mousse and how easy it is to integrate into various applications is Pantone’s partnership with Post-it.
Post-it has announced a Mocha Mousse color sticky notes collection which has received some warm response on social media. The soft brown hue works well in crafts and adds a rustic touch to any notetaking application.
5. Wix Studio
Wix Studio shows that color trends are not only for the realm of physical products but also for digital products like web design assets. Partnering with Pantone, Wix Studio has announced exclusive digital assets for web design flaunting the Pantone Color of the Year 2025.
The below post gives a preview of what the color looks like on digital assets.
It shows that Mocha Mousse is not just an ordinary color that looks good in product design but also one that looks equally impactful in the digital realm.
The popular print-on-demand marketplace Society6 is pushing the boundaries of creativity highlighting the versatility and impact of Mocha Mousse by partnering with 6 independent artists to create a unique Pantone collection. This one taps into the many facets of the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 brilliantly.
Besides, it also gives consumers to jump on the trend by choosing from the fashion accessories and other products in this collection.
Oyuna, a famous Mongolian cashmere womenswear brand has announced a collection of sweaters, blanket shawls featuring Mocha Mousse. The color perfectly resonates with the lush cashmere underlining the luxurious side of it.
Moreover, this partnership also feels relevant because women’s fashion is a segment that;s heavily influenced by global trends like the Pantone Color of the Year.
Other Brands That Have Adopted the Mocha Mousse Trend
In addition to the official brand partners, there are a few more brands that have shown how easy it is to jump on trends when you understand the trend well and execute your ideas on time.
Penshoppe’s custom product catalog
One of the easiest ways to adopt color trends is to feature products in your catalog that already flaunt the said colors. Penshoppe, a popular fashion brand in the Philippines took this approach.
They promoted their curated catalog of products that embrace Mocha Mousse-style browns. This resonates with fashionistas looking to quickly hop on the trend.
Applying the same idea of curated color-inspired collections to the digital world, Unsplash, the popular stock library announced a special Mocha Mousse collection.
In addition to allowing the brand to leverage the momentum of the Pantone Color of the Year 2025, this strategy also allows users to get instant access to stock photos in Mocha Mousse. Therefore, the brand manages to provide what content creators around the world are looking for at the moment.
Mocha Mousse undeniably connects easily with coffee lovers around the world. A color they have grown to love. Therefore, Barista Coffee Company came up with a creative post that capitlizes on the relevance of this color to their industry and their brand.
Ideas to Harness the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 Trend
Creative and timely executions like the ones we discussed so far do not cost much but can significantly boost your brand’s reach.
Similarly, if you are looking to apply the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 to your marketing graphics without hampering your brand identity, here are a few ideas to explore:
If budget permits, tweak the packaging of a bestseller to feature the Pantone Color of the Year without drastically altering the core elements. Make this a limited edition collection to experiment without risking much and also to drive action through a sense of urgency.
Make subtle changes to your social media pages. This includes a custom Pantone COTY inspired filter or frame added to your profile picture, or changes to your banner/cover image for Facebook/YouTube and creating visually intriguing grid posts to optimize your Instagram aesthetic.
Highlight the Pantone COTY in physical spaces like subtle changes to your store aesthetics. This works particularly in the fashion and beauty industries. For instance, a meticulously crafted display of all things Mocha Mousse in your store.
A simple email featuring a shopping guide with product recommendations for users keen on the Pantone color trend is another quick marketing graphic you can put together to join the trend.
Mocha Mousse Color Palette Ideas
Let’s now talk about the 5 signature color palettes that Pantone has suggested to go with Mocha Mousse. Each palette here has a different personality and evokes different emotions. Therefore, each palette depicts the versatility of Mocha Mousse and how it beautifully complements some colors and contrasts some to create balance or dynamism in design.
This is one of the most vibrant palettes on the list. It has colors ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other. There are lively warm and cool colors in this palette and they all come together to create something playful and unique. In this case, Mocha Mousse acts as a color that grounds the palette and prevents the palette from feeling overwhelming.
This is a nature-inspired palette bursting with soft colors for a more “organic” feel. Here Mocha Mousse fits between the cold Cornflower Blue and the warm Rose Tan creating a more nature-focused aesthetic. The palette therefore underscores the earthy elegance of Mocha Mousse. This palette highlights the significance of Mocha Mousse for brands focused on sustainability and the use of natural and organic ingredients.
Overall this palette feels warm and delightful. It shows how muted browns are not dull and boring. In fact, this one highlights how Mocha Mousse can elegantly fit into cheerful palettes with warm pinks and bold reds. Here again, Mocha Mousse acts as an anchor holding the warm colors together and creating a more refined outcome.
We would say this palette captures the truest essence of Mocha Mousse. All the colors in the palette feel close to nature and there is only a subtle contrast between them. This makes the palette a visually pleasant choice for designs meant to carry a timeless appeal. Or if minimalism is your style, then palettes like this one help you make the most of Mocha Mousse.
Earthy and comforting colors like Mocha Mousse look cohesive in a combination of neutrals like taupes and beiges and this palette is the perfect example. On the whole it looks soft and elegant for creating a relaxed and calming ambiance.
The cozy comforting interior design featured as an example on the Pantone website exemplifies the calming effect of this palette. From the grounding effect in the first palette on our list to the subtle understated tone in this palette Mocha Mousse truly can be optimized for a variety of aesthetics.
Apply the Mocha Mousse Trend to Your Designs With KIMP
To conclude, the Pantone Color of the Year 2025 – Mocha Mousse truly is an exotic color that can be utilized in many designs and in many ways. Whether you’re reimagining your branding, creating stunning marketing campaigns, or designing fresh product lines, staying on-trend with colors like Mocha Mousse can help you connect with your audience in meaningful ways.
Ready to bring your creative ideas to life without limits? With KIMP’s unlimited design subscription, you can work with a professional design team to seamlessly integrate Mocha Mousse and other trends into your projects. With a dedicated design team working on your brand, you don’t just follow trends – you can lead them! So sign up for a KIMP subscription today and take your design workflow to the next level.
