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The color authority of the world has spoken, and this year the smoke rising from the Pantone Conclave was a deep rosy hue: All Hail Viva Magenta, Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year.
The crimson hue “merges the warmth of nature with the endless, rich possibilities of digital space,” said Elley Cheng, vice president and chief executive officer of Pantone, during Thursday’s announcement. (Which unfortunately didn’t involve Vatican smoke. It was more like a TED talk or an Apple product reveal.)
This year’s decision, Pantone said, involved an experimental merging of human trend experts and artificial intelligence. After the folks at Pantone decided that Viva Magenta would be their choice, the folks at design firm Huge fed text descriptions of the hue into the Midjourney AI art generator to create the images Pantone uses to express the hue. Art Basel Miami visitors can “Enter the Magentaverse” and immerse themselves in color.
Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, associated Viva Magenta with the way our lives have changed during the coronavirus pandemic. “We refuse to go back to the life we once considered normal or the status quo, and instead embrace the experience we have had… to view this as an opportunity to write a new narrative for ourselves and a.” to establish new vision,” she said during the announcement. “We opened this door to a whole new way of life.”
Despite all the rumors of a new moment, Viva Magenta undeniably evokes the return of a 1990s aesthetic — a natural continuation of the resurgence of baggy jeans and Dr. martens Finally, for a certain subset of geriatric millennials, magenta will always be associated with Lisa Frank, hair ties, and hyper-colored t-shirts. In fact, for the perfect distillation of what the ’90s might look like in the “Magentaverse,” look no further than a pair of fuchsia Birkenstocks.
Aside from artificial intelligence and the pandemic, Pantone said another key influence in his choice was the red hue of cochineal, a natural scarlet dye made by pulverizing certain scale insects. The announcement emphasized Viva Magenta as a symbol of courage — which was a familiar twist. Last year, Pantone also said the hue chosen inspired fearlessness, explaining that the 2022 pick, an evergreen blue called Very Peri, has a “bold presence” that “encourages personal inventiveness and creativity.”
But maybe they just spoke too soon in 2022. Because Viva Magenta makes Very Peri appear almost mild. While Pantone describes it as “a balance between warm and cool,” Viva Magenta is downright fiery. Of course, you’ll now find a range of merch in the shadows – from limited edition keychains to trainers to a Motorola phone.
Every December since 2000, Pantone has declared a color of the year (or color duo in some years). Vibrant pinks are already enjoying a moment, as seen in the barbiecore home design trend and the myriad magentas that have recently flown down the catwalks. We can all look forward to even more happiness in the new year.