NEW YORK >> It’s the color of underwater reefs hanging on for dear life. The sky at dusk. Some of the latest ­iPhones and the latest looks on the runways of Marc Jacobs and other top fashion designers. Living Coral has been chosen by the Pantone Color Institute as its 2019 color of the year.

Can a color be convivial? Laurie Pressman, the company’s vice president, considers this saturated orange base with a golden undertone not only warm and welcoming but versatile and life-affirming. It energizes with a softer edge than, say, its pastel and neon color cousins.

“With everything that’s going on today, we’re looking for those humanizing qualities because we’re seeing online life dehumanizing a lot of things,” Pressman told The Associated Press. “We’re looking toward those colors that bring nourishment and the comfort and familiarity that make us feel good. It’s not too heavy. We want to play. We want to be uplifted.”

But do we want to run toward this color of grandmothers? Pressman also sees a retro vibe to Living Coral, in the same way a softer version of the 2018 pick, Ultra Violet, is the shade of some gray heads when hair toners bring on a turn to purple.

How important color analysis is when weighed against, well, the rest of the world is in the eye of the beholder. Pantone is a for-profit enterprise that forecasts color trends, analyzes the psychology of color and advises companies on color for product packaging and brand identity. Its wares come with price tags, but nearly 20 years of choosing colors of the year has been a useful marketing strategy and free, free, free.

Living Coral is ascending, Pressman said, at a time when bleaching due to climate change continues to rob actual coral reefs of their rainbows. It’s a color that seems to work for everybody, across the gender spectrum in apparel and across segments, from art and housewares to home interiors and industrial design.

Living Coral is vivifying, but it’s “not so overpowering and in your face,” she said. “It’s bright enough, and engaging.”

Pantone’s experts travel the world in search of color influences, from the entertainment industry and traveling art collections to fashion and beauty trends, travel destinations and specialty shows for design and decor.