Pantone created a new color for 2022. Just don't call it purple

Color matching company Pantone just invented a whole new hue to become its 'color of the Year.” Breaking with its usual tradition of pulling a shade from its archives, the company decided to create and name an entirely new one for 2022. 

A not-so-keen observer might call it lavender, purple, or violet. But boasting a full name that sounds like it emerged from a lab, the winner is: Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri. It’s said to blend "the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red.”

So, what makes Very Peri special and how did Pantone - whose standardized color charts allow designers to work with the same shades regardless of their equipment - come to create the winner?

Here are the highlights from Pantone’s lengthy explanation. The new color:

displays a 'carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit'

helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives

is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through

illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa

displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression

And there you were, thinking it was just plain old purple. You’ll never look at an eggplant in the same way again.