The Color of the Year 2012

 

The Colour of the year is a blushing, lively, juicy red. This radiant shade is the most important colour for 2012 as it is at once whimsical and serious, dynamic and soft, perfect for a tiny accent or for a feature wall. A colour that can be many things to many people reminds us not to look for simple solutions, but to open our minds to new ideas that are waiting to be discovered.

Red is held in high regard around the world for its many symbolic purposes. In China, it is associated with good fortune; in India it signals marital bliss and insightfulness. In many western societies it is the colour of passion, power and festivity. Children prefer it to other colours, grown-ups feel attracted to those who dare to wear red in public. Red is the perfect tool to convey value and meaning, and since we cannot ignore it, it is also used to alert us to danger.

Within a palette of hues, this colour offers many possibilities: contrasting one colour, bringing out a certain depth or cool quality in the next, allowing a third to recede. Like the jester in a deck of cards, it can change the game in an instant and brighten your outlook in unpredictable ways.

Colour of the year transitions. The paler tints of colour seen over the last two years have grown into something more confident and robust to warm our hearts for 2012.