PANTONE shocked the design world in December of 2017 when it declared a bold shade of purple the color of 2018. Why? Well, every other color forecast had been completely different. Pinterest had pinned down a calming shade of sage as the new color for every gender-neutral nursery room in America, Etsy expert Dayna Isom Johnson declared that every craft would be done in shades of marigold, and, with every millennial reaching the age of majority, media giant The Cut stated that Millennial Pink was going nowhere. PANTONE blew it all out of the park and decided on Ultra Violet 18-3838, a violet about as bold as shrinking violet can be, as the forecast for the year.

Their reasoning, according to Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman, is that this year is “a time that requires imagination and inventiveness. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level. From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.”

They might not be far off. Even the first month of 2018 has seen incredible leaps and bounds in creativity, exploration, and more. Science & technology leaders are predicting huge progresses for 2018 and in early February the Falcon Heavy, a Space X initiative backed by founder Elon Musk, launched, sending a cherry Tesla Roadster (not unlike the Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year Caliente) soaring through space while blasting David Bowie. Musk anticipates that this will ignite the private space race, initiating a new age of exploration and innovation in technology.

Historically, purples and violets have been the colors of royalty, of magicians, of nobility, eroticism, and, above all, luxury. Due to the limited and costly nature of the dyes, only the wealthiest got to wear purple. But, now, in 2018, this color is universal. Unlimited by constraints of cost and exclusivity of elusive snail shell dyes, purple is available for every home, accessory, or article. The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show of 2018 featured dark blue and purple tones in nearly every other booth, with some being more reminiscent of the fair waters of the ocean and others of space and breadths unknown.

What can be taken from all of these so-called colors of the year? To be bold? To be innovative? To be inclusive? To reach out, expand beyond what we know, explore new galaxies, and, perhaps literally for some, reach for the stars? Yes, all that and more. After all, color is what it speaks to you and you only can give it meaning.

Find Federal Brace online at www.federalbrace.com for more design inspiration.