Viva Magenta Is Pantone’s Colour Of The Year For 2023

Global colour expert Pantone Color Institute has chosen Viva Magenta 18-1750 as the colour of the year for 2023. Needless to say, the choice is bold, positive and vibrant.

The Pantone Color Institute is globally recognised for its prowess in addressing, choosing and developing the colour challenges that harmonise with the brand’s visions. The crimson red shade symbolises strength and power, but at the same time, it promotes optimism, joy and enthusiasm.

In a post shared by Pantone on Instagram on 2 December 2022, the tint has been described as an “unconventional shade for an unconventional time.”

More about Pantone’s colour of the year — Viva Magenta

The brave and fearless descendant of the red family, Viva Magenta is certainly assertive and empowering but not aggressive. This is not the conventional red that strikes our mind when we think of the shades of crimson. A balanced shade, a pink of warm and cool tones, and the borderline between red, pink and blue is Viva Magenta.

According to Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of Pantone Color Institute, the hue is an “animated red, pulsating with movement.” For inspiration, the institute directly points toward mother nature. Cochineal dyes acquired from insects, the rich pink and magenta shades in fabrics and the shades of butterflies, all inspired them to create this brave and fearless Viva Magenta.

While selecting the annual colour, the institute also considered the challenges we faced in the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It felt it was time to choose a colour that inspires hope, strength, and dynamics. After the passionate blue shade Veri Peri of 2021, a very much technology-inspired colour, this is a fresh and brand-new approach towards an innovative idea.

What did the Pantone Color Institute say?

Pantone’s official website quotes Eiseman as saying, “In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.”

Another Pantone Color Institute member and trend forecaster Jane Boddy said, “It’s a great colour for reflecting light, which gives it a sense of fantasy and glamour,” adding, “It’s so flattering across all skin tones and all genders.”

“Traditionally you would imagine this (to) be a colour for the lips or the cheeks whereas now we’re seeing it as a solid eye colour in a painterly stroke,” she added.

The experience of choosing and experiencing the colour is termed ‘Magnetaverse.’ It is a collaboration between Pantone and ARTECHOUSE. The colour experience will be on display from 3 December in Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami, US.

(All Images: Courtesy of Pantone)

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Bangkok