Ultra Violet, Pantone’s 2018 Color of the Year

Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color, recently announced the 2018 color of the year as Ultra Violet, Pantone code 18-3838. Ultra Violet is the fruition of melding the opposing colors blue and red into a harmonious and mystifying color. The color is said to invoke thought and imagination, something necessary in today’s busy and noisy environment. Ultra Violet peacefully suggests imagery of the celestial cosmos, the infinite night sky, and emotionally  conjures deep visionary thought.

In musical pop-culture the color was seen as a main identifier of the late Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix. These iconic leaders of counterculture were symbols for pushing boundaries of imagination through mesmerizing art. It’s also been a symbol of royalty and wisdom. The seventh chakra, Sahasrara, the Crown Chakra, is depicted in Ultra Violet, and is known to be the source of creation, pure light, and connection to divinity.

“The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.” – Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute.

You can use the color to communicate your brand’s individuality and visionary. Use it to display your brand’s appeal to the future and desire to realize a greater vision. Knowledge of colors and their symbolic archetypes will help you more effectively project your strategic branding efforts. Find a series of colors in line with your strategy, learn what they communicate and tailor your content to the message you want customers to feel.