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Meet Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri


By Sherry Chiger

Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri is a new color whose courageous presence encourages personal inventiveness and creativity.

“Carefree confidence.” “Daring curiosity.” “Inquisitive and intriguing.”

Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute.
Pantone Very Peri swatch

Those are a few of the phrases that describe Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri. The hue is the first one that Pantone has created specifically for the Color of the Year since 2000.

Doing so “reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place,” notes Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red-violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.”

Pantone’s Very Peri Capturing the Zeitgeist.

To determine its Color of the Year, Pantone considers everything from technological innovations and entertainment trends to social media and art. Very Peri is meant to reflect the fusion of the virtual and physical worlds. Some have noted that the color recalls the blue glow of digital screens in their real-world surroundings. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, has said that the prevalence of video games and the periwinkle hues in those games influenced the creation of this year’s color.

Very Peri is meant in part to reflect the fusion of the virtual and physical worlds, and some have noted that the color recalls the blue glow of digital screens in their real-world surroundings.

Pantone teamed with Microsoft to create a PowerPoint template, Windows wallpapers, Teams backgrounds, and Edge browser themes featuring Very Peri. Pantone also partnered with blockchain network Tezos to release a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by artist and director Polygon1993. Among the more tangible applications of the color is a limited-edition sneaker from sustainable-footwear brand Cariuma; hand-painted, limited-edition bikes by Priority Bicycles; and limited-edition skateboard decks from Globe.

Very Peri in Packaging and Branding

Very Peri pairs the authority of blue with the energy of red. Pantone contends that it is well suited for packaging design. Very Peri’s combination of credibility and excitement, optimism and calm, make the color useful for commercial applications. In fact, Hallmark already uses a darker, more purple incarnation of periwinkle for its branding. Figma, a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool used by designers use a paler, more lavender version.

Pantone’s Very Peri Useful Palettes

Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri can be found in four new color palettes to establish a variety of moods. This plays up the hue’s versatility. The Balancing Act palette, for instance, surrounds the color with more muted tones. The hue commands attention to appeal to mainstream consumers. Within this palette, Very Peri could easily be used for CPG marketing.

Pantone Very Peri, color of the year, color palettes Balancing Act and Wellspring

In contrast, the pinks and oranges of Pantone’s Amusements palette highlight the color’s whimsical side. This palette would be ideal for communicating a sense of fantasy and carefree youth. In the Wellspring palette, Very Peri adds joie de vivre to nature-inspired greens and browns. These colors could make messages focused on health, wellness, and eco-friendliness more attractive to some audiences. And in the Star of the Show palette, grays, whites, and other neutral shades accentuate Very Peri’s sophistication. This palette shows how color can help luxury advertising stand out from the crowd.

Pantone Very Peri, color of the year, color palettes Star of the Show and Amusements

Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri’s Influences

By infusing serene blue with dashes of dynamic red and violet, Very Peri recalls the 2008 Color of the Year, Blue Iris.

“As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast,” Eiseman said at the time.

Very Peri, however, is less contemplative and more active. Eiseman describes it as having “a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.”

More recently, Pantone named Ultra Violet its 2018 Color of the Year. At that time, it emphasized the more mystical, otherworldly aspects of the shade. Eiseman described it as “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.”

Pantone Coloring the Year Ahead

Pantone 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri digital and physical display

London-based consumer- and design-trend forecaster WGSN named a hue with purplish undertones as its color of the year: Orchid Flower. As Pantone did with Very Peri, WGSN notes that Orchid Flower “will stand out in both real-life and digital settings. It is also versatile enough to work across seasons and continents. In a challenging time, this saturated magenta tone will be a great way to create a sense of positivity and escapism.”

Many other companies, however, favor green shades for their 2022 colors of the year. These include Benjamin Moore’s muted October Mist, PPG’s Olive Sprig, Glidden’s Guacamole, and Sherwin-Williams’s Evergreen Fog. These tap into green’s association with the outdoors almost a reaction to the increasing intrusion of the digital that Very Peri speaks to.

Pantone’s most recent green Color of the Year was five years ago. It described its 2017 pick, the sunny yellow-green Greenery, as “nature’s neutral”; Eiseman said it “symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another, and a larger purpose.”

We’ll see in five years if companies such as Benjamin Moore will choose periwinkle hues as their colors of the year. Pantone may stay ahead of the curve with something altogether different once again.

Source: Inspired Momentum Q1 2022 – click read more!

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