Drum roll, please! The 2018 Pantone Color of the Year is here and it's Ultra Violet. Pantone describes the shade as a "dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple," noting that it communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking for the future. The hue, which boasts tones of blue, is also that which will help light the way for the year ahead. The late, great Prince, who was a massive fan of all things purple, would be proud of Pantone 18-3838's status as the Color of the Year for 2018.
Pantone is a color authority and its team conducts research on color trends that it sees IRL in things like vehicles, food, clothes, cosmetics, and other housewares in order to determine the COTY, according to The New York Times.
Ultra Violet takes the Color of the Year baton from Greenery, which was the 2017 shade. That refreshing hue represented a connection to the natural world and is totally different than Ultra Violet. Pantone is surely switching it up with its 2018 COTY!
Lee Eisenman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, told Co.Design that the complexity of purple fits the current state of the world that we live in. Eisenman said, "Purple is a complex color. We're in a complex time; this is a complex color."
Ready to see what complex looks like?
Ultra Violet is certainly visually arresting and a rich, bold shade that pleases the eye. For those of you keeping score at home, Pantone expressly states on its website that "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."
ICYMI, this is Greenery, which will soon end its reign.
As evidenced by the comments on the post featuring the outgoing Greenery shade, fans were predicting either yellow or millennial pink to succeed it. But such was not the case...
... especially since the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year was Rose Quartz, which is similar to millennial pink. Pink Quartz shared the COTY honor with Serenity, a baby blue shade.
Early reactions to the Ultra Violet were generally positive, even to those whose predictions were way off.
It was a shower of purple heart emojis in the comments of the post announcing Ultra Violet.
Purple slays because it has so many different tones and connotations.
See! Purple is so much a part of everyday life and that's why it was selected.
The Twitterverse certainly approves.
Ultra Violet is receiving so many warm welcomes.
The PCOTY choice will certainly express itself in the beauty and fashion realms through the year.
We can't agree more!
Truth! The COTY influences, impacts, and is represented by the design world, as well.
On its website, Pantone went into depth about why this particular purple was perfect to color our world in 2018. It states, "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."
Evan NASA approves!
It's as though Ultra Violet can provide some comfort and control amidst all the chaos! Pantone also notes that "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."
Lastly, Pantone espoused the hue's mystical and spiritual significance throughout the ages, stating, "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."
Congratulations, Ultra Violet!
