It’s Color of the Year Time, Again

Pantone has decided that the color of 2023 is—drumroll please—Viva Magenta.  To get an idea what Viva Magenta actually looks like, click on either of the links below.

The CNN article quotes Pantone as describing Viva Magenta as: “’Brave and fearless, (Viva Magenta) is a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes optimism and joy,’ the [Pantone] statement added. ‘Powerful and empowering, it is an animated red that encourages experimentation and self-expression without restraint; an electrifying, boundaryless shade.’”

Viva Magenta will get your blood flowing faster—its saturation and brightness levels make that a certainty—and maybe we all do need an adrenaline boost after years and years of pandemic distress and doldrums.

All that revving up may be a good thing, but we do associate shades of red with danger, so beware if you decide to wear this color, paint your front door this shade, or anything similar.

Another “beware”—seeing a red like Viva Magenta even very briefly degrades analytical performance—so don’t look at this color right before you start to work on your taxes—then you may want to look at some shade of green.  Seeing greens boosts our creative performance.

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/pantone-color-of-the-year-2023-viva-magenta/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/style/viva-magenta-pantone-color.html