Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2023, Viva Magenta Pantone 18-1750, is all about strength and optimism.
The highlight of this year is related to the connection with nature, how it endures through the centuries and taking it to the future, according to the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman.
Viva Magenta is a powerful and empowering hue, the point being that it “encourages unrestricted self-expression, it’s dynamic and electrifying,” Eiseman said. The need for balmy calm and reassurance is undeniable after the events of the past three years, but energy is also required “to overcome this next hurdle, wherever it may take us,” he said.
The fact that participants in Pantone’s color association studies consistently find reds to be exciting and dynamic is another plus. “Those words will help carry us into the future and away from any of the concerns we may still have. And we do it. COVID-19[-19] it has not completely disappeared. It gives us the energy to balance what has happened and where we are going in the future,” she said.
Fittingly, given these favorable times for working from home, Viva Magenta is a “hybrid color, combining warmth and coolness, also representing the physical and the virtual,” he said. Playing to a crowd that appreciates color, Pantone unveiled the big reveal Thursday night at Art Basel in Miami.
Along with the global attention that Color of the Year now attracts, consumers can not only see, hear or read about Viva Magenta, but will also soon be able to walk through its beams.
Tech-driven Artechouse has created “the Magentaverse,” a multi-sensory collaborative exhibition with Pantone featuring immersive rooms inspired by Viva Magenta, opening to the public Saturday for a limited time in Miami. Along the way, ticket holders will see explorations in design, space and technology inspired by NASA and sponsors Pantone, Motorola, Lenovo, Spoonflower and other brands amplifying Viva Magenta.
To bring this all to fruition, Pantone and its creative partner Huge hatched a design experiment to delve into the tug-of-war between new technology and human creativity. Working with the Midjourney AI tool, they created the “visual manifestation” of Viva Magenta to create an immersive world. The key image was partially designed with artificial intelligence.
From Pantone’s perspective, the choice not only shows that what comes from nature is real, but also projects it into the future in relation to AI. “We felt like this was a great color to do that. It really is time to do the red family again,” Eiseman said.
This crimson is also similar to carmine red, which has its roots in cochineal dye and was one of the first dyes to come entirely from nature, Eiseman said. Somewhat primal, the ancient color dates back eons as one of the ways humans first dyed their objects, but the AI factor presents it as more futuristic. With consumers increasingly interested in ditching synthetics and returning to nature (not just as a retreat) “to color our clothes and the world around us,” Pantone felt that highlighting one of the brightest dyes went a long way. sense, he said.
To hint at the color, Pantone features a small beetle on some of the Color of the Year promotional materials. “No matter what happens in the world, it exists and is still out there. We thought it was the embodiment of going back to nature and survival,” Eiseman said. “But at the same time, we look to the future with Magentaverse, an unexpected and exciting universe. We don’t even know some of the things that will happen. What will come out of this unleashed creativity? Viva Magenta celebrates that idea.”
That vagueness or infinity, depending on your point of view, also applies to digitized art and AI, which will inevitably lead to never-before-seen art forms. As for the public’s thirst for color, Eiseman said: “There is so much complexity in our lives that colors get more complex. I don’t mean it in a negative way. Simply, if we start looking more at color and hues, we are so fascinated with it that it takes it out of the realm of childhood, when looking at primary and secondary colors. As we get older, we look for what’s inside that maybe I didn’t see before.”
The pandemic-induced creative activities to pass the time at home and improve people’s moods have also increased the general public’s interest in color. And the psychological and emotional impact of a color is still something people can’t talk about enough, Eiseman said. Another sign of change is that more and more museums and galleries are experimenting more with the use of color on the walls that serve as backdrops for their art and exhibitions.
“There is hardly a museum you can walk into today where you don’t see this careful consideration for the art on the wall, surrounded by the appropriate background. All of that is part of the artistic expression and it is a very exciting visual experience beyond the art, which of course is wonderful”.
That practice is also declining in movie set designs, especially animation. “That remains in the conscience of the people. They may not remember exactly what they saw on film or even on film. But the point is that they saw color being used in clever and interesting ways that open up avenues for experimentation. We’ve certainly seen it in the fashion world, where color combinations can be so uniquely different to anything we’ve ever thought of wearing before.”
While some see red as an “aggressive color,” Viva Magenta is considered by Pantone specialists to be “assertive,” like “a fist in a velvet glove,” Eiseman said. It is also “galvanizing”, taking us into the future.
Pundits and voters don’t need to read the Color of the Year 2023 as an indicator of politics. Eiseman dismissed that: “We have received very little feedback on what party it is and who it represents. People are interested in the creative aspect, the psychology and the emotional aspect of color,” he said.
The ins and outs of determining Color of the Year are never systematic, but consideration of current external forces is always at stake. The way in which incidental and important colors are used internationally is another element. Instead of identifying a particular artist or film, the team studies the worlds of entertainment, arts, sports, and industrial design, as well as different cultures.
“It’s hard to explain unless you’re a colorist. It’s almost like this subliminal thing. You’re starting to see certain colors appear, even if it’s just on the periphery of your eye.” Eiseman said. “Red has really been going up in almost every area that we look at, whether it’s entertainment, art or whatever. And of course, in fashion, you’ve seen how strong red has been.” Versace, Balenciaga, and many other designers are on board with that color trend.
As for Pantone partners, Spoonflower, an online shop for custom fabrics, wallpaper and home decor, is featuring unique designs by six independent artists. Another partner, home fitness specialist Hydrow, is introducing a Viva Magenta version. of your Wave Rower rowing machine. Motorola is applying Viva Magenta to some of its mobile products.
Regarding the launch in Miami, Eiseman said, “That’s an area of the country where people use color with abandon. For starters, there is that level of acceptance. The more people talk about the [Artechouse] immersive experience and say: ‘You have to see this’, it will be a great advantage. It really captures people.”
Source: news.google.com