Pantone, Microsoft introduce AI tool for color palette creation

Pantone and Microsoft have joined forces to introduce Palette Generator, a conversational AI tool designed to create color palettes for designers and creative professionals based on written prompts. The tool uses Pantone’s extensive database of color information, psychology, forecasting, and research. Currently in its beta testing phase, Palette Generator is available to all users of Pantone Connect, both free and premium.

“To stay true to our mission of empowering creativity, it was essential for us to build this tool using our own data,” said Ora Solomon, Pantone’s vice president of product and engineering. “That’s what sets us apart from other palette generators. We want users to feel assured that every suggestion they receive is a Pantone-approved palette.”

Users can prompt the tool with requests such as, “create a color story for a men’s collection inspired by the first frost of fall,” or “suggest colors for a women’s collection reflecting a soft spring morning.” The tool then provides five color options, each explained with reasons for its selection and links to more details about the colors and their relevance.

Kathleen Mitford, corporate vice president of global industry marketing at Microsoft, said that Palette Generator and other similar AI tools can give professionals more time to focus on the hands-on aspects of their work.

“This partnership is exciting because Pantone is showing the creative industry how AI can redefine experiences, whether it’s customer experience, employee experience, or reimagining workflows,” Mitford said in an interview with Sourcing Journal.