It’s a wonderful world of color and Pantone is at the center of that. Yes, Mother Nature has given us amber waves of grain and oceans that range from emerald green to cerulean. But, when it comes to fashion, interior and beauty, pantone decides everything from our seasonal color palettes to the ubiquitous “Color of the Year.” For 2018, Pantone has chosen “Ultra Violet,” a punchy purple with deep blue undertones.
Looking Back at “Greenery”
Looking back, 2017 was the year of many things and one of them was Pantone’s “Greenery.” This past year, the “fresh and zesty yellow-green shade,” was meant to reflect nature and “new beginnings.” Pantone furthered emphasized it saying, “Greenery provides us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a complex social and political landscape, and symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.” So, it seems that their goal was to soothe a world that is overworked, overstressed and unsure about what’s in the near future by getting back to basics.
Introducing “Ultra Violet”
That being said, what does Pantone’s 2018 “Ultra Violet” say about the complex fragility of the human experience for this coming year? They described it as a “spiritual, cosmic” purple that “communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.” Pantone stated it was inspired by the mysticism and spiritual associations embedded in the color purple. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said on the Pantone website:
“We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to Pantone 1803838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level. From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive ultra violet lights the way to what is yet to come.”
Ultra violet sounds, dare I say it, magical? The color’s release comes at a time in which society is moving at an increasingly rapid pace. We are discovering uncharted territories in space, engineering, travel and even our own minds. This whole world is becoming increasingly complex, just like this specific shade of “Ultra Violet. But in contrast, it is also simple. This color represents the fundamental human desire to believe that there’s still magic out there.
