Periwinkle blue for familiarity and comfort; violet-red for freshness, vitality, and a digitised future. This combination has resulted in “Very Peri”, code 17-3938: the colour of 2022 according to Pantone. For the first time, the US company is indicating a new colour and not choosing from existing ones. “A dynamic periwinkle blue shade with an invigorating purplish-red undertone,” says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, “blends the fidelity and consistency of blue with the energy and excitement of red”.
The colour of 2022
Since 2000, every December, Pantone has chosen the symbol colour for the following year. The selection does not happen by chance but is well thought out. This chosen colour reflects the moment we are living in, especially in fashion and society in general, and tries to meet what people need. The choice of colour affects the whole sphere of creativity, from fashion to marketing, from designers to architects. “With a new colour, we reflect the innovation and global transformation taking place,” Pressman continues on Rainews. “Society continues to recognise colour as a fundamental form of communication and expression and the complexity of this new shade of blue, infused with red-purple, highlights the possibilities that lie ahead”.
The process for the Very Peri
Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, cuts to the chase and explains how Very Peri came about. “You have to interpret the spirit of the times and turn it into colour. The blue family was the starting point because it is a colour that corresponds to familiarity and comfort. Blue includes the safety factor. But we also needed to convey a sense of freshness, vitality, a drive towards the future, which also refers to the digital world, and this is where the violet-red undertone came in”.
