At the beginning of December, the Pantone Color Institute revealed its Color of the Year for 2023: 18-1750 Viva Magenta. Even though in Germany magenta tends to be associated with a certain shade of pink, it is actually a shade of red that has a slightly pinkish character. According to Pantone, the colour vibrates with verve, power and strength. It is a shade that’s rooted in nature and based on the dye cochineal. One of the most precious natural dyes and one of the most powerful and luminous, it has been used to colour textiles and food for centuries. Viva Magenta is a vibrant red that revels in pure joy, invites experimentation and encourages spirited self-expression.
Even though schoolchildren often associate red with the errors their teacher has marked in their homework and classwork, it’s still not a basically negative colour for them. The colour is very popular with girls, especially when it tends towards shades of pink. They proudly carry school satchels and backpacks in berry shades on their backs. Besides the sporty “Flexy” model (1) in a trendy backpack look, Lässig also offers a straightforward “Boxy” hard-shell version. The “Speckles Berry” satchel made of 100% recycled polyester can be customised with patches. The “Schmusebär” from Deuter (2) is suitable for little adventurous kids from the age of 3 and is a classic among children’s backpacks. The magenta backpack is not only ergonomically designed and child-friendly to open, but also delights little girls’ hearts with princess and unicorn motifs. The stylish “Sunny Mandala” student assignment book from Häfft (3) helps you to think of everything you need during the school day. The exercise book is made of FSC-certified paper, printed in a climate-neutral way and has a splash-proof cover. The two-colour look inside makes it easy and quick to visually grasp the homework assignments been noted down in it. And when they’ve done everything well, the kids get a “Spitze!” (the German word for “Great!”) stamped in their exercise book with the Trodat “Edy” (4). With the ergonomically shaped school fountain pen “Stabilo EASYbirdy” (5), children learning how to write can improve their motor skills with ease. The nib can be adjusted at three angles to best suit the child’s hand position, ensuring a soft writing feeling and clean handwriting. The non-slip grip zone comes in left- and right-handed versions.
The patented soft-grip zone on the “Colour Grip” coloured pencils from Faber Castell (6) supports children’s hands while they colour in. The watercolour effect of the magenta shade is not the only one that creates great watercolour effects in the young artists’ works. If you want a felt-tip pen, then the “edding 1300 Fibre Tip Pen” (7) offers the widest colour range of all edding products: 40 colours in total. The felt-tip pen with water-based ink is ideal for drawing on light-coloured paper, but, with its 2-millimetre line width, it’s also suitable for handlettering and bullet journaling. Made in Germany, the fibre-tip pen is also available in high-quality metal boxes in different sizes. For creative modellers, Staedtler’s “Fimo Professional” (8) is an oven-hardening modelling clay that’s specially designed for professionals as well as amateur and advanced artists. Its firm consistency and very high dimensional stability make it possible to create particularly delicate work. Available in 30 brilliant colours, this clay is also compatible with the other Fimo types. Today, gifts are wrapped creatively and, above all, sustainably in fabric such as the set of 3 "gift wrapping cloths for Xmas” from Roth (9). Made of 100%, these cloths don’t wrinkle when knotted using a Furoshiki technique. This means they can be easily used to wrap the next gift. Available in two sizes, the cloths are suitable for smaller and larger gifts.
The powerful shade of red lends power to everyday office life, so the colour is also ideal for office furnishings. The “RE-LOOP” desk series by Han (10) is made of 100% recycled plastic. It is manufactured in Germany using resource- and energy-saving technologies so that logistics routes are short. In addition to red, the letter tray, magazine file, desk tidy and wastepaper bin are available in a total of 10 fresh trendy colours. It’s no longer just children who like to write with a fountain pen; adults are also increasingly taking a liking to the classic way of writing. The Kaweco Collection becomes energetic and lively with its fiery, radiant “Ruby” (11) coloured pen. The octagonal shape of the pen makes it particularly comfortable to hold, and the intricately cut facetted shape creates an exciting play of light on the shiny polished surface. The golden elements give the pen an elegant look. The “Change Journal” by Leuchtturm (12), with its berry and anthracite coloured cover, wants to help you get a better grip on your work-life balance. The 24 methods to help you improve your life in just 5 minutes every day can be easily integrated into everyday life. The Change Journal is an analogue companion on one’s individual path to self-improvement, with easy-to-understand and immediately applicable tips.
“Viva Magenta is a brave, fearless, and a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.” This sentiment can be written down with pens in Viva Magenta, and expressed with other paper, office and stationery products.
About the author
Gabriela Kaiser has been the owner of a trend agency since 2002, after working 6 years as designer for knitwear. She visits trade fairs as a trend scout and gives lectures there. She advises companies from industry and trade on upcoming trends and writes regularly for various trade magazines.
