SOOO, THE COLOR of the year for 2018 has been announced by Pantone. Ultra Violet, they say. Purple, if you ask me. I’m not a fan of purple. It ranks just above my least favorite color, orange, on my scale of colors (green, you know, is my number one color). I usually look forward to the announcement – often the color prediction is right on target with what I’m hearing from clients about colors they want to use in their events for the coming year. Last year, Greenery was the color of the year, and most of my clients incorporated plants and other natural elements that invoked greenery into their events. Two years ago, two colors were selected, and the pale pink of the year (called Rose Quartz by
Pantone) was seen everywhere with the popularity of rose gold. In other years, the color of the year was not very well received, nor used. 2012’s Tangerine Tango (orange) was, in my opinion, a huge faux pas. And just three years ago, in 2014, Radiant Orchid was selected as the color of the year. Purple. I did, ultimately, embrace Radiant Orchid because of it’s value as a name and what it inspired. So, let us consider Ultra Violet and what it means. In the press release from Pantone, the leading global authority on color standardization, they reference creativity and technology in describing Ultra Violet. In the graphics they use to display the color, there’s an other-worldly quality to the graphics – a blend between something space age and an almost mystical image. To me, there’s a romantic sense to this color, while being cool and modern.
Initially, I heard “purple” when the color was announced. My designer friends all texted me, but with a lot less enthusiasm than when Greenery (my favorite color) was announced. All of us are a bitperplexed – is this a modern purple, for technology? Or a mystical purple, reminiscent of royalty and grandeur. Maybe, this violet is just meant to help us remember Prince and his “Purple Rain” album. Like previous years, Pantone is challenging us to think of color as more than just a trend for design but more as a goal or inspiration for the year. Since I doubt everyone will be changing their drapes at home to include violet and I have yet to hear from a bride having purple bridesmaid dresses, I think that’s really Pantone’s intent. They, like many other modern brands, want to use their position and platform to promote ideas and agendas (I don’t necessarily mean that in a political way).
Can a color make us feel or act a certain way? Well, yes. Red lights make us stop. Green tell us to go. Orange means caution. Purple can be more complicated – I guess because it hasn’t been commandeered by the Department of Transportation. (Wouldn’t that be something – purple signs could mean scenic overlook?)
So, can Ultra Violet make us look to the future? Can a color make us want to use technology in more ways (my goodness, how many more ways can we rely on technology?). I seriously doubt that Ultra Violet is going to move me to behave differently, but the announcement has given me reason to reconsider purple as, perhaps, not the worst color in the world.
My mother loves purple. Seriously LOVES purple. At one time, she was in a “red hat” club, that, despite its name, embraced the wearing of purple. Mom and I recently travelled to Nashville together for some girl time, and she brought an assortment of sweaters, blouses, sweatshirts and pajamas, all in some variation of purple. I refrained from mocking her much, and never even mentioned that awful dinosaur from my babysitting days. (Mom reads this column, so I’m counting on her to laugh!) For my mother’s sake, I guess I can tolerate some Ultra Violet for the year.
Purple is the color of one of my favorite local schools, and many events take place at that school. So, on behalf of the local Darlington Tigers, I can like purple a little bit.
Purple is the color of royalty, and I am expecting a VERY exciting year of royal news with Prince Harry’s wedding and Prince William’s third child. Get ready, dear readers, because 2018 columns might be full of trends from across the pond.
So, if Ultra Violet is supposed to evoke creativity and technology, I guess I can get on board. But I still don’t see a lot of this color infiltrating wedding looks or home décor. But I’ve been wrong before.
*The views expressed in this column are those of the writer, and do not represent the opinions of V3 Magazine.
