.

Inspiration in the color viva magenta.

Learn the history and meaning of the color viva magenta, the “living” shade of magenta.

Design with viva magenta

Get inspired with viva magenta design templates.

The color viva magenta is assertive but positive, blending the real and the surreal to stoke the imagination of what we can make tomorrow.

Load more

What is the meaning of the color viva magenta?

Viva magenta color combines the surrealism of magenta with raw and real crimson. The color viva magenta is encouraging and also self-expressive. It represents what we’re capable of and makes a statement about the half-real and half-virtual lives we live.

Named Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year, viva magenta color is a magenta-gone-red that vibrates on a multi-dimensional level.

The history of viva magenta color.

Understand crimson and magenta to learn about viva magenta color.

The color viva magenta has both organic origins and synthetic ones. This is one reason why viva magenta color was hailed as a timely choice by Pantone in 2023. Sitting at the meeting point between the real and the surreal, the color viva magenta uses crimson or carmine (pigments made since antiquity from the cochineal beetle), and magenta, a synthetic color invented by a French chemist in the 1800s.

The name “viva magenta” could have been “viva fuchsia.”

The French chemist François-Emmanuel Verguin created the synthetic dye magenta, which he originally called fuchsine (“fuchsia”). He patented it in 1859, but that same year the Italian-French battle against the Austrians in Magenta, Italy inspired him to rename the color magenta. “Viva” was added to magenta for Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year to recognize the crimson mixed in that creates the hybrid hue.

The 21st century outlook through viva magenta color.

Before the pandemic, excitement around technology — especially virtual reality, augmented reality, and the metaverse — had created a vacuum. Then, the covid crisis sent people back outside in search of safe spaces. Consumers were reminded of nature’s beauty. In homes, trends like living walls and restorative outdoor spaces reflect this. Outdoor sports saw a surge, too. Viva magenta color reflects the new balance that many seek between the digital and the living world.

The color viva magenta across different cultures.

Viva magenta color as Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year.

In December 2022, Pantone’s Color of the Year in 2023 was announced: viva magenta. The color viva magenta was described as a “transformative red tone capable of driving design to create a more positive future.” More than the future, viva magenta color represents today. Physical and digital lives are being balanced and viva magenta sits where they meet. Viva magenta color represents courage, too, and the hue encourages the same raw fortitude in everything we do.

The place for viva magenta color in the psychology of red.

The color viva magenta is an electrifying shade of red. Its place in color psychology shares many qualities with other rich reds like rose red, cherry, and especially crimson. Viva magenta color inspires passion like all reds, but its magenta influence (borrowing a cool purple undertone) ensures that only the best passions break through, including desire, ambition, and confidence.

The role of viva magenta color in conversations around AI.

The Pantone Color of the Year in 2023 was, for the first time, selected by AI. The tool Midjourney surveyed fashion and design trends to identify the color that represented what was to come in 2023. The public response to this use of AI was mixed. Some felt it was a gimmick that removed the human element of our grasp of color. Others felt the color was perfect, deeply symbolic of current divisions: between the metaverse and real life, between political parties, between social groups.