Pantone’s annual Colour of the Year announcement is here and it looks like 2018 will be painted purple.
The bold shade is called ‘Ultra Violet’ and, according to the famous colour institute, it ‘communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us towards the future’.
In the brand’s statement on the announcement, Pantone’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman explained: ‘We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level.
‘From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.’
The 2018 colour follows 2017’s ‘Greenery,’ a vibrant and fresh shade that reflected new beginnings.
This year’s choice speaks to a mystical or spiritual quality, the brand said, because of its association with mindfulness practices and the use of purple-toned lighting to inspire a connection in meditation.
It’s also said to reflect creativity, individuality and non-conformity, with a link to music icons including Prince, who was honoured with his own purple colour ‘Love Symbol #2’ in August, and Jimi Hendrix, who played ‘Purple Haze’ in concert days before his death in 1970.
There’s no doubt this hue will dictate home design trends in the year ahead – along with fashion, beauty, food and packaging – and it’s said to be surprisingly easy to experiment with the distinctive colour. The brand recommends incorporating it into the home with a couch, piece of art or accent wall.
‘I think people don’t understand the versatility of purple until they start to work with it,’ Eiseman told House Beautiful. ‘This is the fun part, decorating with a colour like purple. It reaches outside of the realm you might not ordinarily reach – it’s out of the ordinary.’
