Today, Pantone revealed its color of the year 2018. And it’s purple: “a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us to the future.”
That’s what Pantone is saying about the choice.
The color is supposed to reflect the idea of living not inside the box, or outside the box, but with no box at all. It’s playing out in home design, industrial spaces and products, fashion, art, and food.
According to Pantone’s representatives, it’s an optimistic and empowering color. One that resembles “originality, inventiveness, forward-thinking and non-conformity.”
And, well, Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.”
Quoted by The New York Times, Pantone’s representatives describe purple (okay, “Ultra Violet”) as “the most complex of all colors, because it takes two shades that are seemingly diametrically opposed – blue and red – and brings them together to create something new.”
But what happens when we take a look at the IT industry? Where’s the purple in that?
Our own backyard is full of purple.
C#, language that’s used primarily in Xamarin and .NET, is purple. Microsoft Visual Studio is also purple. Even some JavaScript frameworks, like Aurelia, are kind-of-purple.
This year will be good.