What can you do after a period of challenge and isolation? Move forward into the future. That’s exactly what Pantone did by creating 2022’s color of the year, Very Peri. It’s been a hot minute of standstill and uncertainty, but life keeps moving on whether you choose to be in this stuck moment or progress forward. Pantone chose the latter. For the first time in 22 years, it created a whole new color instead of going through its archive of pre-existing colors.
Very Peri is a combination of a happy blue that symbolizes stability and inspiration and a fiery red that symbolizes passion and a sense of empowerment. The color is a representation of a hopeful future. It was ideal for Pantone to create an entirely new color that resonates with the changes taking place in a less familiar world that’s opening up doors to new possibilities – new ways of living, working, being, etc.
Newness is being fully embraced. There’s no better time than now to innovate and explore creative endeavours. Take that leap of faith. Look around and you’ll notice that for every corner turned, something new catches your eye or conversations being had are igniting a spark in you. 2021 leaned heavily on the digital realm not only because we were caged in at home left to our own devices, but also because of the onset of new trends, like NFTs, the Metaverse and space travel. Heck, there’s even a perfume named Scent of the Internet created by New Models x The Society of Scent x Highsnobiety. This digital age is sparking invention and making the intangible, tangible. In light of the digital merging with the physical, Pantone unveils Very Peri on digital art alongside the traditional color swatch.
Pantone is here to remind us that color is a constant in our daily lives. It evokes emotions, memories, inspiration and everything that defines who we are and how we see the world. As it couldn’t be better said than by Pantone Color Institute’s Vice President Laurie Pressman, I’ll let her have the last word:
“The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that color can hope to answer. Creating a new color…reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place….the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.”
