Viva Magenta, the Pantone Color of the Year 2023: Everything you need to know
Just yesterday, the world was still dominated by Very Peri, the 2022 Pantone Color of the Year.
With Pantone Color Institute announcing the Color of the Year 2023, we’ve now entered a completely new era, one ruled by Viva Magenta.
Check out Viva Magenta’s Colors page to understand the connotations behind this color, its applications in design, and explore free inspiring Viva Magenta-colored templates from VistaCreate.
Read this article to learn everything there is to know about Viva Magenta: what kind of color it is, the meaning and inspiration behind Viva Magenta, the colors that work best with the Pantone Color of the Year 2023, the Magentaverse, and how businesses can utilize Viva Magenta.
Make sure you stay until the end to find out how to add this trendy color to your designs in VistaCreate!
What is Viva Magenta?
Described by the Pantone Color Institute as “an unconventional red for an unconventional time,” Viva Magenta 18-1750 is a vibrant color that is a balance between red and blue and “vibrates with vim and vigor.”
Source: Pantone
The color was first introduced to the Pantone color range back in 2019 and has since been becoming increasingly more popular.
On December 1, 2022, the Pantone Color Institute named it the official Color of the Year 2023; one that reflects on the current world climate and the moods of people around the world.
So, what is the meaning behind Viva Magenta?
This year’s Color of The Year is powerful and empowering. It is a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, and a boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement.
PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit. It is a color that is audacious, full of wit and inclusive of all.
The Pantone Color Institute
Source: Pantone
Jason Farago, a New York Times critic, describes Viva Magenta as “a saturated shade honking at the threshold of fuchsia, definitely not organic but not quite electric.”
While this is a beautiful explanation of Viva Magenta, we believe that nothing describes the “it” color of 2023 as well as its color data.
- What is the Viva Magenta Pantone code? PANTONE 18-1750
- What is the Viva Magenta RGB code? 190, 52, 85
- What is the Viva Magenta HEX code? #BE3455
- What is the Viva Magenta CMYK code? C0% M54% Y41% K25%
- What is the Viva Magenta HSL code? H345.65 S0.57 L0.47
Source: Pantone
Viva Magenta and other colors: The Magentaverse color palette
The Pantone Color Institute doesn’t just release the Color of the Year. It also shares a palette of colors that work well with it.
This year is no exception.
Together with Viva Magenta, Pantone also released a 8-color palette titled The Magentaverse. According to it, the colors that complement Viva Magenta best are:
- Pale Dogwood, PANTONE 13-1404
- Gray Sand, PANTONE 13-1010
- Gray Lilac, PANTONE 13-3804
- Pale Khaki, PANTONE 15-1216
- Fields of Rye, PANTONE 15-1115
- Agate Gray, PANTONE 15-6307
- Plein Air, PANTONE 13-4111
Source: Pantone
The inspiration behind Viva Magenta?
According to Leatrice Eiseman, the Executive Director at the Pantone Color Institute, Viva Magenta is “rooted in the primordial”; they were looking to draw inspiration from nature and what is real in this age of technology.
Therefore, Viva Magenta replicated “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.”
The red cochineal is a tiny insect, a 0.2-inch beetle found in Armenian Highlands. It’s been around for millennia, surviving and powering through hardships, and blending with the outside world thanks to its bright-red shell; all while other species were becoming extinct.
This beetle shows us how to survive. That hardened shell speaks of bravery and fearlessness that many of us acquired over the last two years.
Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute
At the same time, however, it wouldn’t be fair to claim that naming Viva Magenta the COY 2023 is the Pantone Color Institute’s attempt to keep us grounded in nature. It doesn’t dismiss the technological advancement of the world in the slightest.
Quite the contrary, with Viva Magenta, Pantone celebrates our gradual transition to virtual reality, which is reflected in this year’s unconventional presentation of the zeitgeist color of 2023.
The last few years were transformative in many ways. As a result, space has been created where we are free to explore and be accepted for exactly who we feel we are, whether it be in a cybernetic universe, a conventional space, or a magical blend of both. We are creating a dynamic world that encourages experimentation, one that leverages the virtual within the physical realm and emboldens our strength and spirit to explore groundbreaking possibilities.
Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute
For the grand announcement, the Pantone Color Institute teamed up with their long-time creative partner, Huge, and used the AI generative tool Midjourney to create a visual manifestation of Viva Magenta.
➡️ Find out more about the use of Artificial Intelligence in design in our article.
Courtesy of Pantone and Huge
The Pantone Color Institute also partnered with ARTECHOUSE to produce the Pantone Color of the Year 2023 immersive art experience.
The Magentaverse, Pantone’s new exhibition that explores the dynamic between artificial intelligence and human creativity, circles around COY 2023 Viva Magenta and invites visitors to various interactive rooms that combine a range of visual, auditory, and tactile experiences.
We’ve successfully transitioned to the next step of our development. The future is already here, and according to Pantone, it’s a blend between the digital and physical realm.
➡️ Learn more about the Magentaverse — ahem, sorry, Metaverse — and its impact on marketing in 2023 in our report on the biggest marketing trends in 2023.
Which companies are bringing Viva Magenta, the Pantone Color of 2023, to life through their products?
In the previous section of this article, we discussed all the different ways Viva Magenta ties to the Metaverse and the digital realm.
But the Pantone Color of the Year 2023 bridges the two worlds, remember?
Hence, with the announcement of the new Color of the Year, the Pantone Color Institute also announced numerous brand collaborations that bring Viva Magenta to life through product.
Let’s look at the most notable ones…
Motorola
Motorola is the first brand that extends the Magentaverse into the physical world by giving its star product, Motorola Edge 30 Fusion, a trendy makeover.
To celebrate the Pantone Color of the Year 2023, Motorola will release a phone in Viva Magenta. It’ll be available in the US (and other countries, too) starting December 12, 2022.
Our exclusive, global partnership with Pantone in the smartphone category moves into its next stage being the only smartphone manufacturer to launch a device in the Pantone Color of the Year 2023, allowing consumers to explore, create and break boundaries through technology.
Ruben Castano, Executive Director of Customer Experience and Design for Motorola
Motorola will also have a space within the ARTECHOUSE Miami exhibit where “customers can engage with the new design-forward technology and create their own Magentaverse.”
Cariuma
Another brand that the Pantone Color Institute is partnering with to bring Viva Magenta to life is the conscious skater shoe brand, Cariuma. Together, the two organizations are creating what’s going to be The Official Color of the Year footwear.
Cariuma released the Color of the Year shoe in six different styles. For every pair of Cariuma sneakers purchased, “the brand will plant a pair of trees in the Brazilian Rainforest, the lungs of the world, to directly aid reforestation & the preservation of our endangered species’ natural habitat.”
Deepa Gurnani
Finally, the Pantone Color Institute is partnering with Deepa Gurnani, a jewelry brand that’s determined to bring Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, to life through their jewelry designs.
However, you don’t have to be a Pantone Color Institute partner to benefit from the Pantone Color of the Year 2023. There are numerous ways in which you can incorporate the trendiest color of 2023 into your branding or marketing assets.
Courtesy of Pantone
Viva Magenta design templates
If you want to stay on top of color trends and let everyone know that you’re a cutting-edge business, you need to consider incorporating Viva Magenta into your visual communication.
At the same time, you don’t have to compromise your brand colors and put Viva Magenta at the front and center of your company for the year. Adding Viva Magenta-colored accents to your social meda marketing designs will get the job done, too!
Explore more free Viva Magenta design templates by VistaCreate!
How to quickly add Viva Magenta to your designs in VistaCreate
Don’t worry if none of the Viva Magenta design templates tickle your fancy. There’s a way to color any design template the trendy colors. With VistaCreate’s Styles feature, you can do exactly that in a couple of clicks.
First, browse VistaCreate’s extensive library of design templates to find the one you like or craft a design from scratch.
Once you’re satisfied with the design, upload a picture that contains Viva Magenta to ‘My Files’ and add it to the artboard.
With the image containing Viva Magenta selected, click on the 4-point star icon. Then, click on the palette the feature generates from the photo.
Shuffle until you find the color order you like. Then, delete the picture with the color from the artboard and shuffle.
It’s quick and easy 😉
Learn more about creating professional-looking designs in minutes with VistaCreate in the following articles:
➡️ How to use VistaCreate: A guide to creating designs in minutes
➡️ Everything you can do with the free version of VistaCreate
➡️ Why upgrade to VistaCreate Pro? All the features of a paid VistaCreate account
