Pantone Announced 2023's Colour of the Year — and It's Bold

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Pantone's Colour of the Year is here, and it's making a bold statement as we round the corner into 2023. Viva Magenta 18-1750 was selected this year, as "a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encourageing experimentation and self-expression without restraint," according to Pantone's announcement. And it's no surprise that Lizzo was ahead of the curve in her ruffled red gown at the Emmys this year.

"In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real," Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, said in a statement. "PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known."

An unconventional shade for an unconventional time:
a new vision. Colour of the Year 2023: PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta

Vibrating with vim and vigour, a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family demonstrating a new signal of strength.https://t.co/vxEQlBykRT#Pantone pic.twitter.com/pRIP6bI2NH

— PANTONE (@pantone) December 2, 2022

This vibrant colour is a departure from the more low-key colour choices of recent years, notably 2022's Very Peri — a soft, muted shade from the blue family — and 2021's Ultimate Grey, which encapsulated many people's feelings during the COVID lockdowns.

A giant in the art, design, and colour industry since the '60s, Pantone creates technology to achieve colour-consistent products in product design, fashion, beauty, and graphics. The Pantone Colour Institute forecasts annual trends, including the Colour of the Year and Fashion Runway Colour Trend Reports — and this year the colour seems fresh, hopeful, and joyous.

Here's to 2023 in the magentaverse!