Pantone's 2022 Color of the Year

Dec 17

Is “Very Peri” in your wheelhouse?

Earlier this month, Pantone revealed its 2022 color of the year: Very Peri. Pantone describes the color as a “futuristic” periwinkle blue with “violet-red undertones.”

For the first time, rather than choosing from its existing colors, Pantone created a new color for its 2022 selection. “We see this as a color that is expressive of curiosity. How do we do things differently when we have a pandemic and we have all these other things going on?” said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute.

For Pantone, Very Peri (Pantone 17-3938), symbolizes the transformative times we’re living in. “As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways. “

Time Magazine further remarks:

The concept of newness also speaks to the increasing influence of the virtual world, with the emergence of the Metaverse, recreational trends like VR gaming and esports and the growing popularity of cryptocurrency and NFTs. And since blue light is the element most often associated with technology and futurism in the visual culture of science fiction, not to mention our daily interactions with smartphones and computers, it comes as no surprise that Very Peri was selected to represent a time when our real and online lives are so prominently converging.

For 22 years, Pantone has been the global color authority on color and chosen a color of the year based on design trends it sees in various industries. The color selection is meant to serve as a reflection of what is happening in culture, and Pantone Color Institute partners with global brands to effectively leverage the power, psychology, and emotion of color in their design strategy.

This wasn’t always the case.

“Blending the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red, this happiest and warmest of all the blue hues introduces an empowering mix of newness.”

- Pantone Color Institute

When Pantone started doing a color of the year, it was not yet a household name. Plus, who would care about a color of the year in 2000? We all had much bigger fish to fry in Y2K with the world possibly ending or at least a global digital meltdown.

But the idea struck a chord. Design leaders across industries flocked to the idea. Today, according to their website, “more than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone Products and Services to help define, communicate, and control color from inspiration to realization.”

This year, like usual, major publications and news outlets splashed Pantone’s announcement across their headlines.

Architectural Digest noted how Pantone eschewed the color green, this year’s favorite with other big names in color, for a joyful mixture of red and blue. AD also believes Pantone’s bold color choice “serves as a crucial reminder that there’s more than one way to capture the zeitgeist via color. Not only that, but a bold choice like this underscores that, as we start to see more color possibilities through our screens, we’ll begin to think bigger in terms of how we design our homes.”

InStyle reported Very Peri is the hue that will help you “manifest” in 2022. In case you missed it, according to InStyle “manifesting is the new resolution-setting . . . putting your intention towards something that you hope will happen and then making those dreams reality. In other words, if you think it, it'll come true.”

Vogue outlined an entire beauty guide in the periwinkle shade, while Popsugar released a Very Peri-inspired shopping guide with everything from a day planner to workout clothes to a bicycle. Even USA Today put out a holiday shopping guide—all in periwinkle.

Of course, Pantone has its very own color of the year shop, including limited edition items and a Very Peri-inspired Spotify playlist. (Yes, Prince’s “Purple Rain” is the first song.)

No doubt, this colorful annual hoopla has its naysayers. I’ve read lots of complaints over the past couple of weeks about the ridiculousness of a color of the year:

Why is there a color of the year?

What practical use is this information?

Does this mean lots of companies are going to start trying to sell me stuff that's this color rather than the perfectly good stuff I have in last year's color?

It’s purple. Big deal.

My two cents? Color counts.

Color psychology has its skeptics, but without overthinking it, don’t we all intuitively know color is a powerful communication tool? That it can evoke and reflect our emotions? Surrounding ourselves with our favorite colors feels great. I have a purple couch that makes me smile every single day (it’s not periwinkle, but still).

Perhaps checking our inner curmudgeon at the door time-to-time will do us all a little good. Nowadays, there’s enough to worry about than getting upset about the practical use of having a color of the year proclaimed.

Here’s a quick look back at Pantone’s color of the year during and just prior to the pandemic.

2021 - Ultimate Gray & Illuminating

In the wake of the pandemic lockdown and a new year that was still uncertain, Pantone chose two colors for its color of the year for 2021.

PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating are two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another.

“The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit,” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement.

Ultimate Gray was the first time the company chose an achromatic hue to represent the year ahead. It is meant to remind us of the colors of pebbles on the beach and natural elements whose weathered appearance highlights an ability to stand the test of time.

The color IIlluminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power.

2020 - Classic Blue

Pantone announces its color of the year in December, just before the new year, so 2020’s selection did not reflect what we’ve all come to associate with that year: the pandemic lockdown.

Instead, the color choice for 2020 was all about the hope and excitement of entering a new decade.

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, stated:

We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on. Imbued with a deep resonance, Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply; increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.

In design and fashion, the Institute emphasized Classic Blue’s gender-neutral quality and versatility stemming from its ubiquity the world over.

2019 - Living Coral

About Living Coral, 2019’s color of the year, Pantone said:

In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life, we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.

In fashion, the color was noted for serving as a striking contrast across the color spectrum, in beauty and style for complementing all skin tones, and in interior design for making a bold and/or playful statement.