Pantone and Microsoft unite to enhance creative exploration through AI

Rhea-AI Summary

Pantone and Microsoft (MSFT) announced the beta launch of the Pantone Palette Generator on November 5, 2025, an AI-powered, chat-based tool inside Pantone Connect that accelerates color research, palette creation and concept generation.

Built on Azure OpenAI with Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Azure AI Search and Azure Cosmos DB, the Palette Generator semantically searches Pantone Color Institute forecasting and Color Insider content to produce palettes from Pantone’s libraries, starting with Fashion, Home & Interiors. The open beta is available to all Pantone Connect users, including free accounts, with plans to expand to the full color library and integrate Color of the Year features.

Insights

Design software strategist

Pantone and Microsoft launched a beta AI tool to speed designers' color research and palette creation within Pantone Connect.

Pantone integrates a chat-based Palette Generator built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI to surface curated color palettes and the underlying trend forecasting that generated them, accelerating the inspiration and research phase of design workflows. The tool uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation and agentic search across Pantone's Color Insider and trend forecasting content and currently supports the Fashion, Home & Interiors library.

Dependencies and risks include the quality and breadth of the indexed forecasting dataset, user trust in AI-sourced recommendations, and the planned expansion to the full Pantone library; these facts are stated in the release and define near-term capability and scope. Security, multilingual support, and scalability rest on Azure services named in the release.

Watch for broader library coverage, availability of Palette features tied to 2026 Color of the Year, and usage metrics during the open beta; those milestones will clarify product reach and influence on creative workflows over the next few quarters.

Pantone unveils Pantone Palette Generator, built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI, accelerating design workflows within Pantone Connect

CARLSTADT, N.J. and REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pantone, the global color authority and provider of digital solutions for the design community, and Microsoft Corp. are joining forces to guide creatives and designers into the future as they increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to amplify their craft. Pantone on Wednesday unveiled its beta version of the Pantone Palette Generator, a new tool built using Microsoft Azure OpenAI that brings Pantone's expertise in color psychology and trend forecasting into an intelligent, interactive experience within Pantone Connect.

The Pantone Palette Generator is a chat-based interface integrated into Pantone Connect, Pantone's digital platform for designers that streamlines their color decision-making and communication. The Palette Generator leverages decades of expertise and research from the color and trend experts at the Pantone Color Institute with advanced conversational AI technology to help users expedite the research and inspiration phase of design, by exploring color palettes, leveraging trend forecasting data and generating design concepts within Pantone Connect. With the Palette Generator, designers can create palettes drawing from thousands of colors from Pantone's vast color library in seconds.

"For over 60 years, Pantone has empowered creatives to confidently make color-critical decisions throughout their design process," said Sky Kelley, president, Pantone. "By collaborating with Microsoft, we wanted to create a tool that helps jumpstart the research, discovery and inspiration phase of the design process — allowing designers to integrate color and trend data efficiently as they bring their visions to life." 

Available today for Pantone Connect users, the Palette Generator delivers instant color palettes freshly built around a user's instructions, while also surfacing the forecasting work used to inform the tool, enabling a fast, inspiration-driven workflow. Powered by Retrieval-Augmented Generation and agentic technology, the Palette Generator semantically searches Pantone's Color Insider and trend forecasting articles to deliver palettes grounded in Pantone Color Institute insights. During the open beta phase, the Palette Generator is available to all Pantone Connect users, including those with free (basic) accounts.

"Pantone is showing the world what it means to lead with AI — transforming an industry long grounded in physical design," said Kathleen Mitford, corporate vice president, Global Industry Marketing at Microsoft. "Together, we're accelerating design workflows with Azure OpenAI and showcasing how AI can unlock new levels of creativity, productivity and innovation across every industry."

Adding Pantone Color Institute insights to designers' toolboxes with AI

The Palette Generator draws from a rich dataset curated by Pantone's color scientists, psychologists and trend forecasters at the Pantone Color Institute, enabling users to prompt the assistant with questions like "What colors evoke optimism in Gen Z?" or "Show me palettes inspired by 1970s fashion editorials." The assistant responds with suggested color palettes based on Pantone's proprietary research and global trend insights. 

Built on Microsoft technologies, including Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, Azure OpenAI and Azure Cosmos DB, the solution ensures scalability, security and seamless cross-platform integration while safeguarding content, supporting multilanguage use and laying a foundation for future innovation. 

The Palette Generator currently supports Pantone's Fashion, Home & Interiors library with plans to expand to its full library in the near future. User-generated palettes can be added directly to Pantone Connect and promptly analyzed, downloaded and shared for collaborative design workflows, saving hours of research while inspiring creative exploration.

Looking ahead, users will be able to leverage the Palette Generator to incorporate palettes around the upcoming Pantone Color of the Year 2026 and all past Pantone Colors of the Year.

Digital transformation for the future of the creative workflow

As Pantone continues to invest in its digital product suite, the company is focused on tools to enhance the future of the creative workflow. In addition to the new Palette Generator, Pantone has also added new features like Design Mode within the Adobe extension, improving navigation and reducing click paths based on user feedback.

For more information on the Pantone Palette Generator or Pantone Connect, including how to create an account, visit www.pantone.com/pantone-connect. Mobile apps for iOS and Android can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, respectively, while the Pantone Connect Extension for Adobe^® Creative Cloud^® can be downloaded from the Adobe Creative Cloud Exchange website.

About Pantone 

Pantone provides the universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization — leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides customized color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce approved Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories. Learn more and connect with Pantone on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

About Microsoft 

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.  

 

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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

FAQ

What is the Pantone Palette Generator launched on November 5, 2025?

It is a chat-based AI tool inside Pantone Connect that generates color palettes using Pantone Color Institute insights and Azure OpenAI technology.

How does Microsoft (MSFT) technology power the Pantone Palette Generator?

The tool uses Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Azure AI Foundry and Azure Cosmos DB for RAG-driven semantic search, scalability and cross-platform integration.

Who can access the Pantone Palette Generator during the open beta?

All Pantone Connect users can access the open beta, including users with free (basic) accounts.

Which Pantone color libraries does the Palette Generator support initially?

The Palette Generator currently supports Pantone’s Fashion, Home & Interiors library with plans to expand to the full color library.

Can designers export and share palettes created with the Palette Generator?

Yes, user-generated palettes can be added to Pantone Connect, analyzed, downloaded and shared for collaborative workflows.

Will the Palette Generator include Pantone Color of the Year features?

Yes, roadmap notes indicate future support to incorporate the upcoming Pantone Color of the Year 2026 and past Colors of the Year.