Image via Pantone on Instagram 
NEW YORK—Last week, Pantone announced its color of the year for 2023: Viva Magenta. A strong, deep and warm shade of red, Viva Magenta is vivacious and bold—a color full of optimism for the year ahead. Pantone Color Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman said, “In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.

“Rooted in the primordial, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta reconnects us to original matter. Invoking the forces of nature, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta galvanizes our spirit, helping us to build our inner strength.”

In eyewear, we’ve already seen the stirrings of a magenta movement: both oxblood red and royal purple were poplar shades in eyewear this year, and both had a spotlight moment in VM’s October and November/December issues. These popular shades are in the same family as Viva Magenta, giving off a very similar feel. Viva Magenta is already popping up in other design worlds, too, from fashion to interior décor—and to less tangible designs, too. Like the metaverse.

 
 Image via Pantone on Instagram 
At Art Basel in Miami, Pantone and ARTECHOUSE launched MAGENTAVERSE, an immersive experience that showcases the inspirations for Viva Magenta and allows visitors to “explore the virtual within the physical realm to examine the connections between nature and technology.”

In addition, Pantone has shared a series of designer tools for designers who want to adapt Viva Magenta into their collections, locations and inspirations for the coming year. The resources are all available on the Pantone website and include resources for packaging, multimedia design, interior design and more.