Similar to periwinkle, as the name implies, Very Peri is a departure from the slew of green Color of the Year 2022 predictions we’ve seen from brands including Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Behr. “Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place,” explains Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.” According to Pantone, Very Peri was named in an attempt to help us “embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives.” The bright and cheerful pick blends blue and red, pointing to “a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit.” But Very Peri won’t just thrive in the real world. In their announcement on Instagram, Pantone notes that Very Peri is “a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through. 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.” Pointing toward the growth and expanse of digital design, the brand also notes that Very Peri is a sign of “opening the door to a dynamic virtual world where we can explore and create new color possibilities. With trends in gaming, the expanding popularity of the metaverse, and rising artistic community in the digital space, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.” For the past 23 years, a panel of color experts at the Pantone Color Institute have studied the global color trends and influences, looking to everything from the entertainment industry to art collections to fashion, as well as travel destinations, new technologies, and socio-economic conditions. Always armed with a surprise, last year, the team selected two shades for 2021: Illuminating (13-0647) and Ultimate Gray (17-5104), which they described as “positivity supported by fortitude.” It’s no surprise that Pantone is looking toward Very Peri to “place the future ahead in a new light.” “The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that color can hope to answer,” says Pressman. We also can’t help but notice that Very Peri pairs particularly well with all the shades of green named by other brands as the 2022 Color of the Year. Virtually or IRL, at home or online … regardless of how you use it, we’re sure to see some impact from Very Peri in 2022.
