The Pantone 2022 "Color of the Year"—Very Peri—is meant to reflect transformation as humanity adapts during the COVID-19 pandemic with new ideas and technology.

Very Peri is described as a "dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet-red undertone" that is a mix of the "faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red," creating an "empowering mix of newness." 

The Pantone Color Institute, which has monitored trends to select a "Color of the Year" since 2000, said that this year marks the first time it has manufactured an entirely new color as opposed to selecting from archives.

"It was really important for us to come up with a new color, because we have a very new vision of the world now," said Pantone Color Institute's Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman in a video call.

Added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, "As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication and as a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red-violet-infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lie before us."

In art, fashion and homewares, expect to find versions of Very Peri highlighted ahead, even on your computer screen. Pantone teamed up with Microsoft to integrate the shade in apps from digital screensavers to interface options such as PowerPoint and Windows.