A vast departure from 2022’s soothing blue and violet Veri Peri Color of the Year, Pantone’s choice for Color of the Year 2023, Viva Magenta 18-750, “vibrates with vim and vigor,” says the brand. Explains Pantone, Viva Magenta is a shade rooted in nature—more specifically, it originates from a beetle found in tropical and sub-tropical environments—descending from the red family, and expressive of a new signal of strength. “Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative,” Pantone says.
Expanding on the nature of Viva Magenta, the brand states that it is powerful and empowering, an animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying and a boundless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement. “PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit,” it says. “It is a color that is audacious, full of wit, and inclusive of all.”
Furthermore, Viva Magenta is described as a nuanced, crimson-red tone that presents a balance between warm and cool; it is a hybrid color, one that comfortably straddles the physical and virtual in our multi-dimensional world. “It is assertive, but not aggressive, a carmine red that does not boldly dominate but instead takes a ‘fist in a velvet glove’ approach,” says Pantone. “Exuding dynamism, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta is a transformative red tone capable of driving design to create a more positive future.”
Viva Magenta is the 24th color in Pantone’s Color of the Year series, which was first launched in 1999 by the Pantone Color Institute. The Color of the Year is described as being “one moment in time” that provides strategic direction for the world of trend and design. It is a culmination of institute’s year-round work forecasting trends, based on all aspects of society, including fashion, marketing, social media, and politics, and developing color palettes for its clients.
In explaining the reasoning behind its choice of Viva Magenta for 2023, Pantone says, “As we balance our digital and physical lives, we continue to grow our appreciation for the natural world. The Color of the Year 2023 acknowledges our gravitational pull towards natural colors as movements swell around climate change, sustainability, and land protection.”
In this year’s Color of the Year selection process, Pantone says it observed a heightened appreciation and awareness of nature represented by countless lifestyle trends. “We’re incorporating more living things into our homes, such as plants, florals, living walls, and restorative outdoor spaces,” it notes. “We’re finding newfound enjoyment in travel, sports, and outdoor recreation after pausing these activities during the pandemic. We’re more careful to protect our bodies as a result of the public health crises—we look to apply and ingest trusted, life-giving ingredients. All of these lifestyle trends speak to the heartiness of natural forces.”
Viva Magenta’s organic origins hail from the cochineal beetle, an insect that produces carmine dye, which, according to Pantone, is one of the most precious, strongest, and brightest of the natural dye family. As a result, the company says that “the red tone of Viva Magenta connects us to original matter, imbibing us with a primordial signal of strength.”
“The Color of the Year 2023 merges the richness, warmth, and strength of natural matters with the rich, open horizons of the digital world,” says Pantone. “The result is a shade of red that expands our horizons of authenticity. The metaverse creates new opportunities for us to express ourselves, and the raw fortitude of Viva Magenta inspires us to do so with confidence and bravery.”
Along with Pantone’s designation of the Color of the Year, it provides a number of tools for designers in fashion, beauty, home and interiors, graphic arts, and packaging and plastics that provide direction on how to effectively incorporate the color into their designs and to what end. For those designing packaging and plastics, Pantone says that 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,” it says. “Whether consumers are scrolling on their phones or browsing the aisles, tapping into the Color of the Year 2023 will ensure you stand out.”
