If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how about an individual color? FTA member Pantone used four when it named “Greenery” its Color of the Year for 2017, and just one for what it’s calling “Love Symbol #2,” or more accurately, one character: the iconic symbol used by the late artist Prince.
Greenery
Pantone 15-0343 Greenery was chosen by the company as its Color of the Year for 2017. In announcing the selection, Pantone called attention to its yellow-green shade as evocative of “the first days of spring” and its provoking thoughts of foliage and the general outdoor environment as “[signaling] individuals to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.” Its selection, much like the pair chosen in 2016, is a reflection of the world it colors.
Greenery burst forth in 2017 to provide us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a complex social and political landscape. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate, revitalize and unite, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.
“While Serenity and Rose Quartz, the Pantone Colors of the Year for 2016, expressed the need for harmony in a chaotic world,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Greenery burst forth in 2017 to provide us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a complex social and political landscape. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate, revitalize and unite, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.”
In introducing Greenery to our eyeballs, Pantone highlights its use in a number of areas familiar to flexographic printers, including beauty and food and beverage, as well as in fashion and home décor and architecture.
“The tangy yellow-green speaks to our desire to express, explore, experiment and reinvent, imparting a sense of buoyancy,” Eiseman added. “Through its reassuring yet assertive vibrancy, Greenery offers us self-assurance and boldness to live life on our own terms, during a time when we are redefining what makes us successful and happy.”
Greenery is the 19th Color of the Year honoree since the first selection—Pantone 15-4020 Cerulean—was named in 2000. This year’s color was chosen from the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Color System. Pantone released its Color of the Year for 2018, Ultra Violet, in early December of 2017.
Love Symbol #2
There is no shortage of iconic imagery to associate with the late artist Prince: His Yamaha piano and iconic symbol-shaped guitar, assortment of outfits, the motorcycle from Purple Rain. It’s no coincidence of the color chosen for that movie’s title (and accompanying soundtrack)—purple has forever been as important to Prince’s image as anything; there’s a reason he was nicknamed “The Purple One.”
Following Prince’s death in 2016, the Pantone Color Institute (Pantone’s consulting arm) recently announced in collaboration with The Prince Estate an official shade of purple that adds the musician to the color cannon in the form of Love Symbol #2.
“We are honored to have worked on the development of Love Symbol #2, a distinctive new purple shade created in memory of Prince,” said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “A musical icon known for his artistic brilliance, Love Symbol #2 is emblematic of Prince’s distinctive style. Long associated with the purple family, Love Symbol #2 enables Prince’s unique purple shade to be consistently replicated and maintain the same iconic status as the man himself.”