The colour experts at Pantone have followed last year’s Greenery with a hue as majestic as it is refreshing, both complex and celestial, reminiscent of a swirling galaxy or a Prince concert. Meet your 2018 Colour of the Year: Ultra Violet.

“We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination,” said Leatrice Eisman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level.”

Every December, the Pantone Color Institute selects a Colour of the Year based on trend forecasting research. The chosen shade provides strategic direction for designers and brands, but more than that, it has become a symbol of deeper meaning for the year behind and the year ahead.

Pantone has no small hopes for Ultra Violet in 2018.

The company describes the colour as a “dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade” that “communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”

From there, it only gets more insane. Some of OTT things Pantone says about Ultra Violet include:

• “Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.”
• “Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now.”
• “The selection of Ultra Violet speaks to our shared desire for deeper understanding in an increasingly complex landscape, and our eagerness to experiment to reach that level.”
• “Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.”

So… no pressure or anything, Ultra Violet. It’s just the fate of the entire world resting on your imaginary shoulders.

What’s interesting about this choice, The New York Times notes, is that it seems to deviate from previous years by looking forward rather than reflecting.

“It’s also the most complex of all colors,” said Eisman, “because it takes two shades that are seemingly diametrically opposed — blue and red — and brings them together to create something new.”

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, added that the 2018 Colour of the Year is “truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today,”

In other words, Ultra Violet is optimistic. It’s a hope for the future, not just an observation. Pantone is getting proactive.

A little ambitious, perhaps, but who are we to scoff at some positivity after the chaos of 2017? If you’d like to inject those hopeful Ultra Violet vibes into your life, check out the products in the gallery above.

The post Pantone’s 2018 Colour Of The Year Is Out Of This World appeared first on DMARGE Australia.