The Pantone Color of the Year 2023: Viva Magenta

The Pantone Color of the Year is finally here! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for; the Pantone Color Institute has just officially announced that the Pantone Color of the Year for 2023 will be Viva Magenta.

The color, which Pantone explains is “vibrating with vim and vigor,” is a natural shade from the red family and demonstrates a new signal of strength. Exactly what we need as we move into the new year ahead.

Ready to immerse yourself in 2023’s Pantone color? Here’s everything you need to know about Viva Magenta, and how to splash next year’s color of the year across your designs and creative projects. 

There was an inkling that 2023’s Color of the Year would be pink, but Viva Magenta isn’t a Barbie pink as some predicted, nor is it a millennial, Valentino, or baby pink. It’s a blush – or “nuanced crimson” – described by the brand as “an unconventional red for an unconventional time.” It introduces the world to what Pantone defines as “The Magentaverse,” a nod to Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse and a color that straddles digital and physical environments.

This was Pantone’s announcement for the 2023 Color of the Year: “Tapping into the experimental spirit of Viva Magenta, Pantone explores the dynamic between Artificial Intelligence and human creativity to create “The Magentaverse” available to the public for the first time.”

They continue: “PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta writes a new narrative. Brave and fearless, a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes optimism and joy. Powerful and empowering, it is an animated red that encourages experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, boundaryless shade that is manifestly “out there” and is a stand-out statement. Audacious, witty, and inclusive of all, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same rebellious spirit.

A nuanced crimson red tone that presents a balance between warm and cool, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta is also a hybrid color, one that comfortably straddles the physical and virtual, evocative of our multi-dimensional world. Assertive but not aggressive, it is a carmine red that does not boldly dominate but instead takes a “fist in a velvet glove” approach. Exuding dynamism, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta is a transformative red tone capable of driving design to create a more positive future.”

According to Pantone Color Institute’s executive director, Leatrice Eiseman, it was about time for a red-based Color of the Year again. Red is undoubtedly making a splash in the fashion world, with designers from Tom Ford to Roksanda introducing shades of red on the runway, including magenta.

To start incorporating this exciting and positive new Pantone shade into your designs or creative projects, check out our Viva Magenta Collection on Envato Elements.

And there you have it! While we’re at it, let’s stroll down memory lane and revisit the previous Pantone Colors of the Year… 

The Pantone Color of the Year 2022 Very Peri inspired imagination and creative expression. Very Peri’s vibrancy and energy promoted new perspectives and possibilities as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. With an upbeat, joyous attitude, Very Peri was all about embracing new opportunities and redefining the future.

The first new shade in the history of Pantone, Very Peri combined the calming, reliable qualities of blue with the passion, fire, and creativity of red to represent progress and change. Displaying carefree confidence and daring curiosity, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri was as empowering as it was innovative. 

To incorporate this unique, empowering color story into your designs or creative projects, check out our Very Peri collection on Envato Elements for inspiration. Or, try out some of the Veri Peri-inspired items below!

A color palette that is practical, solid, and optimistic, the union of Ultimate Gray & Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It tells a story that is both enduring and uplifting, encapsulating toughness and resilience with the promise of something sunny and hopeful moving forward into 2021. 

A bright and beautiful yellow sparkling with vivacity, PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is a warm and luminous yellow shade – which is just what we all need to lead us out of the darkness of 2020. The color of flowers, fruits, and sunlight, yellow is the color of hope, creativity, and new ideas. Being the lightest hue of the spectrum, yellow is uplifting, and illuminating and evokes happiness, cheerfulness, and fun.

On the other hand, PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray is solid and dependable, representing a firm foundation to rebuild. With the color of mountains on the horizon, pebbles on the beach, and natural elements that have stood the test of time, Ultimate Gray evokes feelings of composure, steadiness, and resilience. The middle man between black and white, gray represents neutrality, consistency, and balance – something that many of us are craving right now.

If you want to incorporate this uplifting color story into your designs or creative projects, try out these Gray Instagram Posts & Stories by sagesmask, these Soleil Flowers by Webvilla, Grayscale by Boris_Cupac, and yellow by twenty20photos, or check out this Ultimate Gray & Illuminating Collection on Envato Elements.

Chosen because of its comforting, familiar shade, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue was just what we all needed in 2020 – one of the craziest years in modern history. One of the three primary colors, blue, evokes a sense of calm and ease. Vice president of The Pantone Color Institute Laurie Pressman said the color offers stability and connections. “It’s a reassuring presence,” she told The Associated Press.

Overall, Blue was the 5th most popular color searched for on Envato in 2020, up 37% year on year. And among our fastest growing color terms searched for, we saw Dark Blue–which is suitably related to Classic Blue–achieve 96% year-on-year growth, as well as Azure and Indigo

At the start of the century, Cerulean, another blue color, was selected as the color of 2000. With Cerulean being the color of the sky when the sun is shining and Classic Blue emulating the hue of the sky as the day ends, we think that Classic Blue is the perfect shade to kick off a brand new decade and bring us all a sense of calm and comfort during the year that was 2020. 

You can incorporate Classic Blue into your designs with these decorative invitations, this indigo classic keynote, the Shore typeface, or these floral watercolor clip art patterns and flat and outline illustration designs. For more inspiration, check out our ‘Classic Blue’ Pinterest board, featuring more items to download from Envato Elements.

A bolder, more vibrant color than the calm and comforting Classic Blue, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral was the Pantone Color of the Year 2019. In addition to coral playsuits on the catwalk and coral statement crockery in kitchens, Living Coral was an absolute hit on social media. This is because it evokes a zesty, cheerful, and high-spirited feel and even connects to nature and the environment. Giving the nod to the coral reefs, which support a quarter of all marine species and half a billion people worldwide, Living Coral is bright, playful, and effervescent.

If you’re still loving Living Coral, you can incorporate it into your social designs with these Coral Instagram story templates by vuuuds, this Watercolor Texture Living Coral by cornercrof, these Living Coral Google Slides by Jumsoft, or even this 28 page Minimal Portfolio Brochure template. 

Described as a ‘dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade,’ Ultra Violet 18-3838 was Pantone’s pick for 2018. The Pantone color of 2018 represented ingenuity, creativity, and a pioneering vision that pointed to the future.

With designers flocking to find Ultra Violet assets as soon as the color of 2018 was announced, the abstract nature of Ultra Violet can add an enigmatic aura to any artwork, making it great for various designs. 

If Ultra Violet is still your jam, check out these Space Nebula Backgrounds by themefire, this tropical beach by dotshock, these Abstract liquid shape backgrounds, or this Sangria design by designloverstudio.

The Pantone Color of the Year 2017, Greenery 15-0343, was all about fresh, clean design. A green-yellow shade known as nature’s neutral, Greenery was prevalent in everything from plant-lined office spaces to morning smoothies and made designs appear more natural and organic. Bearing a striking resemblance to Envato’s own logo, needless to say, we were very fond of 2017’s color of the year. 

Here’s to the new year and Viva Magenta! Need more color inspiration? Check out the color trends inspired by the Spring/Summer 2023 runway shows, from New York and London to Milan and Paris.