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The Pantone Institute (USA) has unveiled the highly anticipated Color of the Year for 2023: the vibrant and bold shade of Viva Magenta. To be precise, it’s Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta. Color experts have described it as “a non-traditional hue for non-traditional times.” They further explained that this rich, daring color is an “animated red” designed to empower and encourage unrestricted self-expression.
According to the Pantone Color Institute, this shade strikes a balance between warm and cool tones. At times, it appears more red, while at other moments, it leans towards fuchsia.
This rich, regal hue is highly sought after in the world of decor. And in 2023, we can expect to see even more of it around us, as reported by Design Milk. The Pantone Institute promises that throughout the coming year, the shade 18-1750 Viva Magenta will increasingly be used in interiors, home goods, fashion, and more. After all, this color from the red family “signals a new strength.”
Color experts hope that the “bold, fearless, pulsating” tone of 18-1750 Viva Magenta will fill everyone with a rebellious spirit.
Lori Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, noted that “the past few years have significantly changed how people feel about themselves and how they think about well-being, priorities, and identity.”
Specifically, our contemporaries are seeking inspiration from nature and everything authentic, added Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone. The inspiration for next year’s tone, Viva Magenta, comes from the color of the cochineal insect, which is a source of natural dyes: the strongest and brightest known to the world.
For those who may not know, cochineal (or Dactylopius coccus) is a type of insect in the order Hemiptera that feeds on the juices of agricultural crops and fruit trees. Despite being pests to agricultural plants, these insects have their benefits. They are used to produce carmine—a red-purple dye that is utilized, among other things, as a food coloring (E120).
Thus, as Leatrice Eiseman believes, the natural tone of Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta connects to the forces of nature, invigorates our spirit, and helps strengthen our inner power.
The Pantone Color Institute, in collaboration with the New York-based creative growth acceleration company Huge, explored the main tone for 2023 using the artificial intelligence tool Midjourney. The neural network created a stunning world of images that showcase “the connections between nature and technology.” Thanks to this vibrant exploration, one can “dive into an optimistic new ecosystem called the Magentaverse,” wrote Pantone specialists.
As with every announced Color of the Year, various products dedicated to Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta will be available on pantone.com.
How the Color of the Year is Chosen
Experts at the Pantone Institute are often asked how they select the Color of the Year. Vice President Lori Pressman has shared in interviews with various publications that a large team of experts is involved in this process. Typically, this team consists of about 30 individuals. The selection process requires thorough year-round analysis and macro-level forecasting of color trends. The team studies emerging color trends across entertainment, film, visual arts, design, fashion, travel, sports, economics, new technologies, and materials. The choice of a new tone becomes a sort of culmination of this research work.
As a reminder, the Color of the Year for the past year was the lilac shade 17-3938 Very Peri.
