Pantone, “the global authority on color” has a contest every year and they release, Color of the Year. Of course it’s all just fun and games, but I have to admit, this years color is stunning. I think I may even be looking for some ways to incorporate it into some designs. Of course no one is obligated to use the color in any way. It also changes nothing when a color is named color of the year except perhaps that that color is used more by designers.
Viva Magenta Sample
There are all kinds of color palettes made up already, from a myriad of sources, even several from Pantone themselves (they are marketing an online color palette tool themselves) but this is the one they favor enough to put on the announcement webpage for the Color of the year.
Recommended usage palette for Viva Magenta, the 2023 color of the year
How do they choose the color of the year? Well in their words:
The Pantone Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute™ comb the world looking for new color influences. These can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 23 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design.
Below is the color code information to use it in just about any medium as you want. The first two would the most popular choice for digital designers, the CMYK code would the most used choice for print designers and the thirds choice would be the most popular for painters. I sure wouldn’t paint a wall with this color (not even digitally), but think it would make an excellent accent color.
RGB color code: rgb(255,0,255)
Pantone: 18-1750
CMYK color code: 0, 100, 0, 0
Binary color code: 11111111, 00000000, 11111111
And just in case you were curious about last year’s color of the year:
The 2022 Color of the Year was “Very Peri, a shade of periwinkle.
I'm Texx Smith, an experienced freelance project manager and web designer. I've been innovating for my clients since 1995 by myself and with small teams.