Pantone is a standardised colour matching system, used universally to assist the communication of colours in a variety of industries, but particularly in design and printing. The Pantone Colour Institute, founded in 1962 in New jersey, has been announcing the ‘Colour of The Year’ since 2000. It has become a reliable and trusted source for trend forecasting and a must for designers all over the world.
You may have seen the fresh and zesty tones of Greenery, last year’s colour of the year, throughout 2017. It represented rejuvenation, renewal, and all things natural, aligning with many of 2017’s trends and culture. This year, we’re moving over the spectrum to something a little more mysterious with Pantone’s Colour of The Year 2018 – Ultraviolet.
“A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.“ – Pantone
Ultraviolet stands for all things futuristic and magical. It’s exciting and dramatic, but also has a deepness to it that ignites thought and imagination. It has a complexity to it that is fascinating and mystical. It’s a colour that can provoke many feelings and holds many meanings.
So, how is the colour of the year decided? It isn’t just selected at random depending on the mood of the Pantone team that day, but rather the result of months of research, forecasting and monitoring to develop the hue that will dominate the year ahead. Executive Director Lee Eiseman, and Vice President Laurie Pressman and the team are behind the chosen colour each year. They analyse technology, fashion, pop-culture, food, environmental and design issues to decide on the chosen colour which will influence colour direction in 2018.
Ultraviolet was announced only at the end of 2017, but already we have seen products adapting its mystical hues and injections of purples and violets have began to appear. Beauty, fashion and interior brands have become renowned early adopters of the colour of the year, and only one week into 2018 we have already seen an Ultraviolet Collection from beauty brand, Butter London.
Why not experiment with the colour this year and stay on top of trends by introducing it to your communications? It’s richness and opulence should be used sparsely, in order to not distract from your content, however accents of Ultra violet can be used to introduce it subtly whilst staying on brand. Colour choice is of utmost importance when it comes to branding and conveying the desired meaning, so use it carefully to get your message across on target.
Don’t fancy introducing Ultraviolet to your brand? Here are the key connotations behind other colours to help you communicate the right message to your customers.
- Red: Passionate, love, danger, anger, adventure, and is frequently used to convey ‘sale’ messages.
- Orange: Joy, warmth, creativity, fun
- Yellow: Uplifting, cheery, positivity, optimism
- Green: Environmental, natural, refreshing,
- Blue: Stability, trust, loyalty, wisdom, faith
- Purple: Royalty, power, ambition, luxury, nobility
- Pink: Sweet, playful, cute, flirtatious
- Brown: Natural, stability, honesty, security, wholesomeness
- Black: Deep, mysterious, dark, power, elegance, formality
- White: Pure, innocent, clean, softness
If you’re looking for help with branding, design or marketing work, contact fatBuzz and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can assist!