Pantone Unveils Color Of The Year For 2022

章青青

While many of us will spend the final days of 2021 reflecting on its whirlwind events，global color authority Pantone has already been busy looking ahead—to decide on the shade that will best encapsulate 2022.

On Wednesday it unveiled Very Peri，a periwinkle hue that the company says combines the steady tranquility of blue with an energetic infusion of red. It’s the first time the company has manufactured a color instead of delving into their pre-existing archive.

“It was really important for us to come up with a new color，because we have a very new vision of the world now，”said Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman in a video call.

“It is literally the happiest and the warmest of all the blue hues，”she added，describing the shade.“Because of that red undertone，it introduces an empowering feeling of newness，and newness is what we’re looking for.”

The pandemic has heavily impacted how we normally live and work—posing obstacles that have forced people to think outside the box.

“We’ve gone through so many challenges over this time，we don’t know what’s going to pop up from one day to the next，”said Pantone’s vice president Laurie Pressman，who was also on the call.“It’s curiosity that’s helping people to get through these difficult times. What we would call courageous creativity.”

“The color symbolizes the future，”Eiseman adds.“（It）has that sprightly，joyous attitude that we’re talking about，that carefree confidence，and creative spirit.”

Each year，Pantone attempts to interpret the zeitgeist through the lens of color theory—mining the likes of fashion，design and interiors for clues.

And it’s no stranger to making unconventional picks：In 2016，the company chose a gradient made out of two shades，Rose Quartz and Serenity，to reflect a year defined by shifting gender politics. In 2020，not one but two colors—Ultimate Gray and Illuminating（a vibrant yellow）—were selected to capture both the resilience and optimism shown during the first year of the pandemic.

The annual task of forecasting the color that will best reflect the year ahead has been a more than 20-year endeavor，beginning as a desire to cultivate conversations around the power of color，says Eiseman.

“We first did color of the year to get people talking about（the role of）color，”she said.“And once you get them talking about it，you then create a buzz and the realization hits them：color is such an integral part of our everyday lives，but we take it for granted.”

2021年已結束，许多人都在回顾过去一年接踵而至的纷繁事件，全球色彩权威机构潘通却早已开始展望未来，决定出最能代表2022年的颜色。

12月8日，潘通发布了2022年度色彩，仙女紫。据称这种长春花紫色是将宁静蓝和活力红混合而成。这是潘通首次选用自己调制的新颜色，而非像以往那样选用色库里已有的颜色。

潘通色彩研究所的执行总监丽特里斯·艾斯曼在视频会议中讲道：“选用新颜色作为年度色彩对我们来说真的很重要，因为我们现在对世界的看法已经焕然一新。”

她在描述这一颜色时说道：“这是所有蓝色调中最快乐也最温暖的颜色。加入的红色给人带来一种强烈的新感觉，而这种新感觉正是我们要寻找的。”

疫情深深影响了人们正常的生活和工作方式，也带来了重重阻碍，这迫使人们跳出固有思维模式。

潘通色彩研究所副所长劳里·普雷斯曼在视频会议中说：“这段时间我们经历了这么多挑战，我们不知道明天还会发生什么事。正是好奇心帮助人们度过了这些艰难时刻，或者可以称之为勇敢的创造力。”

艾斯曼补充道：“这一颜色象征着未来。它包含着我们谈论的那种活泼欢乐的态度，那种无忧无虑的自信，还有创新精神。”

每一年，潘通都试图通过颜色理论来解读时代精神，从时尚、设计和室内装修等各个领域去找寻线索。

在挑选年度色彩方面，潘通惯于打破常规。2016年，潘通选择了水晶粉和宁静蓝两种色彩的渐变组合来反映性别政治变迁的一年。2020年，潘通选择了两种颜色——极致灰和荧光黄——来表达人们在疫情第一年所展现出的坚韧和乐观。

潘通每年都要选出最能代表下一个年度的色彩，艾斯曼指出，这项已经持续了20多年的任务最初是为了引发人们关于色彩力量的对话。

她说：“最初我们发布年度色彩是为了让人们谈论颜色的作用。一旦讨论开始，就会产生热度，然后人们会意识到，颜色是我们日常生活中如此不可缺少的一部分，但我们却往往视而不见。”