Pantone, the influential colour standardisation company, has announced its Colour of the Year for 2022 – and it’s a sort of periwinkle blue. For the first time, Pantone has fused together two colours to produce its Colour of the Year.
‘Very Peri’, according to Pantone, “displays a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit. Inquisitive and intriguing, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives. Rekindling gratitude for some of the qualities that blue represents complemented by a new perspective that resonates today, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri places the future ahead in a new light.”
Influential
Pantone’s Colour of the Year announcement is always influential, as every design and interiors company feels obliged to reflect the selection in its range. Of course it’s a bold designer who decides to decorate a whole interior in this range of colours, as there’s always another one coming along the following year. Recent selections have included Ultimate Gray, a sort of steel filing cabinet colour, and Illuminating Yellow in 2021; Classic Blue in 2020, and Living Coral in 2019.
Pantone’s announcement continued: “We are living in transformative times. PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through. As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways. Digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a dynamic virtual world where we can explore and create new colour possibilities. With trends in gaming, the expanding popularity of the metaverse and rising artistic community in the digital space PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how colour trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.”
Leatrice Eiseman, Director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training and Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, says: “As we move into a world of unprecedented change, the selection of PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri brings a novel perspective and vision of the trusted and beloved bleu color family, encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time with its violet-red undertone, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.”
“The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that colour can hope to answer” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute.
Transformation
“Creating a new colour for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational colour program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognise colour as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us”.
The Pantone Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s colour experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new colour influences. These can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact colour, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 23 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design.
Renee Hytry Derrington, managing principal of design at Formica Corporation shared her thoughts on the newly announced Pantone of the Year 2022.
“Very Peri embodies the energy we have all been craving, as the color both excites and inspires, yet its warmth feels comforting and friendly. This saturated periwinkle hue strikes an empowering balance of cheer, hope and expression, and when applied throughout interior spaces, the result is an environment where we feel inspired to create yet safe enough to express ourselves.
When used on surfaces, the color builds a foundation that feels daringly playful, like through the Formica® Laminate darkened version in Cassis or lightened version in the blue leaning Azure.”
Pantone Color Institute is the business unit within Pantone that highlights the top seasonal runway colours, selects the Pantone Color of the Year, forecasts global colour trends, and advises companies on colour for product and brand visual identity. Through seasonal trend forecasts, colour psychology, and colour consulting, Pantone Color Institute partners with global brands to effectively leverage the power, psychology, and emotion of colour in their design strategy.
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