Pantone's Color Of The Year Is Everything We Need In 2018

On Thursday, Pantone color experts announced Ultra Violet as their highly anticipated Color of the Year for 2018. The bold shade of purple is a far brighter cry from 2017's mellow Greenery and 2016's ethereal Rose Quartz and Serenity and that's perfectly fitting for the new year. A lot has changed over the last few years and 2018 needs a color that reflects that.

After all, the Vice President of Pantone Color Institute explained that the Color of the Year isn't picked based on a trend, but rather based on the current cultural climate — "what's needed in the world." It's picked for the future, with both hope and declaration. Pantone's website reads, "Inventive and imaginative, Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come."

Ultra Violet doesn't blend into our surroundings — it stands out. It perfectly represents how we are taking back our voices and speaking out against injustices, and just as importantly, how we're doing it together.

So even if you're not a fan of purple, you can appreciate the sentiment behind this hue.

Pantone actually called on musicians Prince, David Bowie, and Jimmy Hendrix as inspiration — you know, people who totally kicked ass and didn't care what anyone else had to say about it. In that same vein, Ultra Violet is otherworldly, mysterious yet inviting, and most of all, it's fearless. This color is unconventional and dares to be different, and that's just the vigor we need as we enter into 2018.

Purple is also associated with spirituality. It's the color of the crown chakra, which symbolizes openness to a higher state of being, as well as to all that's unknown. Ultra Violet evokes a sense of togetherness — and we all know the world could use more than that.

Speaking of crowns, the color purple also represents royalty. With a royal wedding on the horizon, it all just seems to make sense, doesn't it?

Thank you, Pantone, for instilling a glimmer of hope for the future — we'll take all the Ultra Violet we can get.