PANTONE Color of the Year Has Been Announced…

“A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”  Is PANTONE’s description.

Purple has always been a fun color, often used as a symbol of counterculture. Think Prince, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix.

So what does this mean for you and your company?

Should you jump on the band wagon and redesign your company logo, website and all your collateral/printed pieces? For most businesses my answer is no. However, as is always the case there is a caveat; it depends on your industry. If you are a mechanic, pet store, plumber, etc. you should be fine. If you are in marketing, design, or interior decorator or something in a field where your job entails staying on the cutting edge of fashion and design then maybe. Yet again it depends on your branding. Do you often update or are you known for a black swoosh, for example.

Although it is always fun to hear what color PANTONE has come up with this year, it is more of something for designers to keep in the back of their mind. Think of the expression “Take it with a grain of salt”.

PANTONE’s Ultra Violet is good to know about, as you will start to notice throughout 2018, Ultra Violet and other shades of purple will start popping up more and more. But like so many things in our lives with the speed of social media and the internet, it is a trend.

Last year’s PANTONE color was “Greenery” a unique green color, next year might be orange. I sometimes joke. It is like the “special of the day” at your favorite restaurant. PANTONE must have too much purple dye lying around or got a deal on it from the distributer.

Either way, don’t panic. But, if you were thinking about a change feel free to give me a call 775.622.1189 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I would be happy to give you a few tips!