MANILA - Viva Magenta will be the color of 2023, Pantone Color Institute announced Friday, citing vigor and optimism as basis for the decision.

"Pantone’s Color of The Year, Viva Magenta 18-1750, vibrates with vim and vigor. It is a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength," Pantone's Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman said.

"Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative." she added.

The new Color of the Year "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," said Eiseman.

The choice was a far hue from 2022's Very Peri, which featured lavender-like color.

"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 institute explained.

• A brief history of Pantone and the special colors its made for Tiffany, minions et al

Over the past 22 years, the Pantone Color Institute's Color of the Year announcement has become an event on the pop culture calendar, with media buzz building up before the first Thursday of December — when the company traditionally unveils its projected color for the upcoming year. For instance, last December "Very Peri" was announced as the 2022 Color of the Year.

Speaking to online design magazine Stylepark in 2021, the institute's Vice President Laurie Pressman explained that the institute originally launched the Pantone Color of the Year educational program in 1999 to get people talking about color — whether they are designers or color enthusiasts.

"We wanted to draw attention to the relationship between culture and color and show our audience around the world how what happens in our global culture is expressed and reflected by the language of color," she said.

The selection process generally involves color experts from the Pantone institute who analyze trends, socioeconomic conditions, art and culture, the mainstream media and technological advancements.

- With reports from Deutche Welle

From the archives:

Watch more News on iWantTFC