We are passionate about colors at 5 Star Plus Retail Design. As designers and branding experts, we strive to see beyond the surface and decode the meaning of colors and their connection to the brand. It has become our tradition to introduce Pantone Color of the Year at the beginning of each year. The star of 2023, Viva Magenta – a mix of purple and red – will be introduced through its origin colors, historical occurrence, and meanings.
Viva Magenta, an Unconventional Shade for an Unconventional Time
First, let’s see what we know about PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta. After three years of adjusting to the pandemic, facing war and economic instability, people worldwide had to learn how to balance their digital and physical lives. They now have a different way of looking at work, hobbies, travel, and nature. There is a greater emphasis on authentic, honest, natural elements in our lives, where individuals are welcome to express themselves while feeling accepted. That is where Viva Magenta comes into the picture, an expression of fierce grace, inspiring us to show up with confidence and humanity. As a nuanced crimson-red tone representing a balance between warm and cool, magenta is the perfect metaphor for the physical and virtual in our multi-dimensional world.
Red Side of Magenta
Red is a visual storyteller throughout history, one of its first appearances was in the cave paintings discovered in Lascaux Caves. As its importance began to grow, various associations with red began to surface. Romans used red to adorn their villas and tombs to symbolize wealth and power. In many Asian countries, it became the color of luck and happiness. In Iran, it represents good fortune; in Europe, it was connected with power and prestige and worn only by noble families.
Vermilion
Chinese were the first to produce synthetic vermilion, perhaps as early as the 4th century BC. Also called Chinese red is thought to be symbolic of life and good fortune and was used to paint temples and the Emperor’s carriage.
Carmine
Viva Magenta is a vibrant, truly unique red-based color rooted in nature as its organic origins hail from the cochineal beetle. This insect produces carmine dye, one of the most precious, strongest, and brightest of the natural dye family that became the symbol of wealth. Cochineal insects were a valuable European import in the 16th century, the third after gold and silver.
Purple Side: Tyrian Purple
In history, one of the most famous and celebrated colors have been purple, specifically Tyrian purple. At the time of the Roman Empire, colors had an immense significance, expressing not only taste but also a universal social hierarchy and status. This shade of purple was the color of the noble and imperial family. It wasn’t allowed to be worn by anyone, as it required a tremendous amount of snails – eight thousand mollusks – to produce a single gram of the substance.
The importance of these colors remained in our modern store design as well. Red, purple, and magenta are all excellent choices in retail design when brands want to highlight a specific area. Red is used to grab the attention of and prompt quick decisions, purple is perceived as aristocratic by the customers, and this year’s star magenta can convey energy and fun in the store.
While the ancestors of magenta – red and purple – were only available to and represented a specific class of people, in a progressive leap forward, magenta itself is a fully inclusive color that everyone can experiment with and find their own voice in, whether clothing, interior design, or products.
