Pantone, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Inc. and provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions, has announced Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet as the Pantone Color of the Year for 2018. Says Pantone, a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, Pantone18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points toward the future.
“We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to Pantone18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “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.”
The company adds that, complex and contemplative, Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.
As Pantone notes, enigmatic purples have also long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality. Nuanced and full of emotion, the depth of Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world and push boundaries through creative outlets.
Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to Ultra Violet, Pantone adds. The color is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world. The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspire connection.
“The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today,” says Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “As individuals around the world become more fascinated with color and realize its ability to convey deep messages and meanings, designers and brands should feel empowered to use color to inspire and influence. The Color of the Year is one moment in time that provides strategic direction for the world of trend and design, reflecting the Pantone Color Institute’s year-round work doing the same for designers and brands.”
Says Pantone, as packaging design becomes more sophisticated, Ultra Violet offers complexity and nuance that appeals to our desire for originality in all that we touch. Similarly, in graphic design, Ultra Violet resonates with this dynamic medium through its multidimensional feeling. Shades of Ultra Violet are increasingly used in packaging and graphic design by forward-looking brands in the consumer packaged goods, luxury, and beauty worlds as well as by personalities and artists seeking to stand out.
According to Pantone, the 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. This 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.
