Pantone’s Color of the Year

It makes sense for Pantone to name a “Color of the Year.”

The company has become synonymous with standardized colors, and most brand guidelines are anchored by an established Pantone color palette.

Pantone’s color of the year for 2023 is Viva Magenta (18-1750).

The color is exceedingly vibrant (“high-chroma” in design-speak) and sits at the exact intersection between blue and red on the color wheel. It will look familiar to TikTok users.

Pantone obviously wants its color of the year to reflect the current zeitgeist. Pantone describes it as “an unconventional shade for an unconventional time.” Along those lines, Pantone ran the color through artificial intelligence tools to create what it’s calling “The Magentaverse.”

But in order to make its Color of the Year stand out in the real world, Pantone has had to pull out all the stops.

Competing Colors

Pantone was among the first brands to name a color of the year in 1999 (Cerulean was the first color to take home the prize). Since then, countless organizations have anointed a color of the year.

It’s a popular because it’s effective. Connecting a specific offering to the moment adds relevance and gives audiences an entry point. It elevates a brand’s position, and it’s newsworthy.

To make sure its color of the year is the most newsworthy, Pantone created immersive experiences, brand partnerships and an aggressive campaign push to make Viva Magenta the most recognized color of the year.

After nearly 25 years, Pantone’s color of the year campaign is still going strong thanks to an updated execution.