The verdict is in . . . Ultra Violet (aka Pantone 18-3838) has been deemed the colour of the year by the experts at the Pantone Colour Institute. Recall, these are the people who have the really cool job of studying design, film, food, fashion, art, travel, sports, entertainment, technology and I’m sure more each year in order to forecast global colour trends.
This year, the big winner is a provocative and thoughtful shade of purple said to communicate originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking. As the Pantone experts so aptly point out, enigmatic purples have long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality and artistic brilliance. Think: musical icons Prince, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix who all brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality.
Noted to also have mystical and spiritual qualities, this colour suggests the mysteries of the cosmos as well as the intrigue of what lies ahead. Not surprisingly then, it’s often associated with mindfulness practices.
Most exciting . . . as Leatrice Eiseman, the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute points out . . . we are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination in which case, this blue-based purple will help to take our awareness and potential to a higher level. In other words, count on this Ultra Violet hue to help light the way to what is to come.
Purple reigns, indeed.
