Pantone Colour of the Year 2023
Stop the press, Pantone might have got its Colour of the Year right for once with Viva Burgundy!
According to the official press release, the Pantone Colour of the Year 2023 prediction, Viva Magenta, is “brave and fearless… a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes optimism and joy.” It continues, “Powerful and empowering, it is an animated red that encourages experimentation and self-expression without restraint. Audacious, witty, and inclusive of all, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same rebellious spirit.”
Goodness. All that from a burgundy.
But it’s actually quite a complex colour, which is a welcome surprise.
After all, for the last few years, Pantone has lurched from a lurid Kermit green (2017) to a horrid Purple in 2022 dubiously named ‘Very Peri’ via ‘Living Coral’ in 2019 which had very little to do with the perilous state (or hue) of most reefs.
They were all profoundly one dimensional shades that lacked any semblance of nuance or potential interpretation beyond, yuk. But this one is rich, deep and dare I say it, almost inviting!
It’s a tricky colour though: essentially a reddish brown with purple undertones. As such, for me it’s full of vaguely 70s connotations of full-length polyester dresses (or maybe that’s maroon?). Obviously it recalls red wine. Or perhaps blood? Maybe carmine — the food dye made from crushed and dried cochineal beetles.
But mostly I think of beetroot, the earthy root vegetable. Which is super relevant for 2023 as I shall explain…
