If you want the design of your 2023 events to be on trend, consider sourcing decor and flowers in magenta. That’s the color of the year, according to Pantone Color Institute, the color authority that has been celebrating annual hues since 2020 when it championed cerulean blue. The official “it” color is Viva Magenta 18-1750, which “vibrates with vim and vigor,” the announcement declares. “It is a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength.”
Magenta seems well suited to the return of meetings. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, calls it “brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.”
“This year’s Color of the Year,” she continues, “is powerful and empowering. It is a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraints, an electrifying, and a boundraryless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement.”
Viva Magenta is more audacious than last year’s pick, Very Peri, a periwinkle blue with violet undertones, that evoked creativity and curiosity. As Pantone notes, 2023’s “nuanced crimson red tone” is “assertive but not aggressive” and takes a “fist in a velvet glove” approach—it’s an unconventional shade for an unconventional time”
“What distinguishes this year’s Color of the Year from last year’s is Viva Magenta’s ability to answer our collective need for strength,” the institue says. “Viva Magenta offers us the assurance and motivation we need to weather long-term disruptive events,” the institute continues. “Three years deep into a pandemic, facing a war, an unstable economy, social unrest, supply chain breakdowns, and mounting climate change, we need to heal. And still, we need to find the motivation to continue. Here, Viva Magenta cloaks us in both power and grace, and sends us out into the world with the verve we’ve yearned for.”
Pantone offered some examples of how to unleash the magnificence of Viva Magenta:
In Interiors
“Daring designers can harness the full power of the Color of the Year as a velvet couch or lacquered wall. Those who desire a more neutral home can use it as a pop of color. As a sculptural Murano glass lighting fixture or striking ikebana floral arrangement punctuating an all-neutral dining room, or a glowing abstract canvas or NFT projection in a white entryway, Viva Magenta packs a lot of drama in a small dose.”
In Graphic Design
“Today’s consumers spend large portions of their days looking at a screen where the visuals tend towards pale and neutral. Designers looking for a color that cuts through this space will find the Color of the Year 2023 a captivating solution. A brand using Viva Magenta expresses that it’s fearless, engaging, and that looks at the world unconventionally to bring about new solutions.”
In Packaging
“Brands wanting to appear animated and passionate can use Viva Magenta to elicit a strong consumer reaction. Because reds are advancing colors, they draw the eye and muscle out the colors surrounding them. Whether consumers are scrolling on their phones or browsing the aisles, tapping into the Color of the Year 2023 will ensure you stand out.”
