Viva la Viva Magenta: Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year

Painting in Pantone's Color of the year

Cherry chapstick, red wine, a deep purple crayon, hibiscus flowers, and red onions each embody Viva Magenta, the 2023 Pantone color of the year. Which is, according to their website, “an unconventional color for an unconventional time… a signal of strength, inclusivity and self-expression.”

 

Since 1962, Pantone (a company entirely dedicated to color marketing) has become a major influence on fashion, interior decorating trends, the wedding industry, and really anyone and everyone paying attention to color fads. In many ways, the decision of the annual color sets the “color-palette stage” for the year.

Magenta Installation
Magenta Painting

In 2015, Fashion Magazine, West Elm, and Beyonce’s Vogue issue featured the 2015 color Marsala. The following year, InStyle, Elle, and Essie Nail Polish showcased Pantone's new colors of the year Rose Quartz and Serenity. In 2018, Pantone’s Ultra Violet appeared on fashion runways, Seventeen Magazine, and even on the cover of The Black Panther movie. More recently, the 2022 Pantone color of the year Very Peri partnered with Microsoft and the fashion brand Monochrome. While collaborations for the 2023 Pantone color of the year are to be determined, their website offers an array of small ticket items to buy—almost like souvenirs.

So, why is Viva Magenta “unconventional” and how does it represent strength, inclusivity, and self-expression?

 

Well, it doesn’t. But Pantone does one hell of a job convincing us it does. It starts with strategic marketing with a need for a bit of suspension of disbelief from the audience.

 

The Pantone color of the year is something we are meant to consume, just like a daily horoscope or a new health fad. We, as the consumer, are meant to believe that this color means strength, inclusivity, and self-expression because Pantone’s Color Institute experts say so, and while these words may seem arbitrary—they are not. The experts use a highly intricate trend analysis and selection process to determine the best fit for consumers each year.

Pantone Color of the Year

If we think about it, strength, inclusivity, and self-expression are buzzwords in our current-day context… and the Pantone color experts know that. Colors are such a vital part of humanity; people are attracted to them and most of us seem to love a good trend. Pantone combines these concepts to convince society what colors matter and even when they matter. Really, it's a brilliant marketing tactic.

 

And honestly, I’m convinced. Come 2023, you can find me wearing magenta hues and maybe even embodying a bit of strength, inclusivity, and self-expression while I’m at it—just like a red onion, hibiscus flower, or a dark shade of cherry chapstick.


©ArtRKL™️ LLC 2021-2023. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ArtRKL™️ and its underscore design indicate trademarks of ArtRKL™️ LLC and its subsidiaries.

Back to blog

Categories

Recent Posts

 Remedios Varo, El Flautista, 1955. Courtesy Museo de Arte Moderno

7 Haunted Paintings

Cursed paintings like Death and the Child and The Hands Resist Him are tied to supernatural events, ghostly apparitions, and tragic accidents.

Jesslyn Low
teamLab, Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together – Transcending Boundaries, A Whole Year per Hour, 2017. Sound: Hideaki Takahashi. Installation view of 'Every Wall is a Door', Superblue Miami, 2021. © teamLab. Courtesy of Pace Gallery,

What the Buzz: Art Buzzword Guide

Buzzwords like AI, NFTs, and "cutting-edge" dominate the art world, shaping how we perceive art. Are they essential connectors or oversimplifications?

Emma Livingston
Harlequin Family, Picasso, 1905 via Pop Culture History

Harlequin to Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn's origins trace back to the 16th-century Harlequin, sharing wit, agility, and a diamond motif, evolving into a DC Comics icon.

Jesslyn Low