Opinion: Very Peri and Calming Coral are the top colour predictions of 2022

Very Peri (17-3938) - a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone blends the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red. And it is Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2022. Very Peri is a new Pantone colour whose courageous presence encourages personal inventiveness and creativity, or so say the colour experts. 

 

“The Pantone Colour of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that colour can hope to answer.” said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, releasing the report. “Creating a new colour for the first time in the history of our Pantone Colour of the Year educational colour program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognise colour 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."

 

After the lockdowns of 2020, Pantone chose two colours, Ultimate Gray and the Sunny Yellow Illuminating, to represent quiet reassurance and resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, as well as optimism for the future. This year’s Very Peri symbolises the changes the world is experiencing as we look to move beyond the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic.

 

Colour Calming Coral is the choice for 2022 of Shutterstock, the images company. This muted, peachy pastel colour gets along splendidly with other members of the pastel family. It plays especially well with dusty yellows and pinks for a nostalgic tint to evolved design work. Shutterstock suggests contrasting it with sky blue to round out a comforting, natural palette.

 

There’s a reason Calming Coral feels like a soothing bath bomb when expertly employed. You can practically (or virtually) feel the fuzz and the most typical reaction is to just… soak it in. Its warmth encourages designers to embrace its ‘vulnerability’, bringing to the forefront feelings of comfort and peace.

 

Choosing a Colour of the Year is no whimsical easy process. A large team of data crunchers and number munchers - and most of all, the Shutterstock.AI engine - brings to the creative world at large the top colours for the year ahead. Every year Shutterstock’s data analysts and design experts plow through billions of bits of data to reveal what colours the design world is gravitating towards next. And this time around, they’ve included added insights from Shutterstock.AI, uniquely capable of deciphering how a specific colour performs in digital media - so that art directors and designers can apply it in their next campaign! Stats at Shutterstock are based on millions of images downloaded from around the world, wherein each individual pixel shade is tallied - along with its recent click-through rate (CTR) performance.

 

Next on the Shutterstock list are two other very interesting shades: Velvet Violet and Pacific Pink. 

Some purples, Shutterstock says, stand up and shout, desperate for attention - on the contrary, Velvet Violet whispers and draws the eye with its come-hither magnetism. And yet, it represents the boldest of trending colours for 2022, still able to turn heads without over-the-top flamboyance. The hue carries a decidedly regal tone, confident in its dignified grace and allure. Velvet Violet embodies purple’s traditional associations with royalty. Its natural complement is a contrasting shade of green - like emerald - which pair up in perfect harmony. Given its darker placement on the colour spectrum, it also serves as a superb base for flashy accents of the neon-electric sort.

 

Pacific Pink, the trendiest colour in this year’s Shutterstock report brings to mind images of a fading flower pressed between pages of an old book. Tactile and rosy, like a still frame from your favorite Wes Anderson film. Whereas hot pink was cool for a hot minute (okay, millions of minutes), this subtle hue is about to have a banner year say experts. Pacific Pink is reminiscent of that inevitable blush that appears when you’re overcome by a sense of giddiness. It looks marvelous when paired with other pink and peachy tones. And like its namesake, apply it to a complementary light teal to evoke the sun setting over a glimmering Pacific beach.

 

Dulux, the global pant company’s 2022 Colour of the Year is Olive Sprig.

 

Olive Sprig DLX1125-4 is a relaxed but enticing green that emulates the feeling of soothing aloe vera or a fragrant plant – brightening any space with organic liveliness. A versatile paint colour that lives well inside or outside, Olive Sprig blends in with nearly any environment.

 

Under the theme ‘Horizon’, which represents humanity’s current state of hope, reflection and new beginnings, Dulux’s colour experts identified three colour stories that will resonate for homeowners and professional painters in 2022: Introspective, Inspired and Invaluable. Serene Spaces is a palette that takes on a warmer, lived-in quality that has a calming and restorative effect. It enhances your space by using off-whites and natural neutrals. Simplicity and Peace hues are perfect for the private, yet soulful person looking to create an ethereal bedroom retreat or add a hint of colour to an otherwise neutral-toned kitchen. Inspired Joyfully Refreshing - these mood-boosting shades are sure to turn up the volume in any space and add an optimistic jolt of energy in the home. These shade palettes are of course thought through from a practical and utilitarian point-of-view. 

 

The Asian Paints colour choice is still not out for 2022. Last year the company favoured Cherish and Ivy League as its prime favourites. Cherish is an effervescent and restorative colour that symbolises endurance and eventual upliftment. It is a colour that prompts you to look at the fleeting moments of life, leaving you with ample reasons to smile. Be it creating any piece of art, Cherish brings out the best in each and every moment. The mint-green hue, Ivy League, with a touch of blue is neither too warm nor cold. Its appearance is enough to calm the mind and instill a sense of hope that everything does fall into place. Not very many other Indian companies, apart from Asian Paints, put out colour reports, to the best of my knowledge. 

 

Colour resonates in distinct ways for different people. During the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic, some gravitated toward soothing neutrals while others immersed themselves in bright, uplifting colours. Now, as we begin to imagine a post-pandemic world, the colours that fill our homes and lives will again vary widely.

 

Each year, colour experts, paint companies, designers, cosmetics brands, even auto majors reveal their picks for the shade that best encapsulates the current period. Their choices for colour of the year often draw on trends in pop culture, fashion, technology, and design from around the world, and the results are starting to roll in for 2022. Pantone is always the most respected major colour authority to announce its selection, but there are always many more who add to the list. Well, take your pick of a ‘colourful’ year ahead. 

 

The author is as an art advisor at DAG.