Using Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year in E-Learning #399

Using Pantone's Viva Magenta in E-Learning #399: Challenge | Recap

Welcome to the Magentaverse!

Pantone recently announced its 2023 Color of the Year: Viva Magenta. Pantone describes the color as:

“a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, and a boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement.”

What is the color of the year and why is it important? 

The Pantone Color of the Year is important for a number of reasons:

• It helps to define and set the tone for design trends in various fields, such as fashion, home decor, and graphic design. 
• It’s often used as a reference point by designers to inspire and guide their design choices. 
• It’s a useful marketing tool for companies and brands, as it allows them to stay current and relevant to consumers. 
• It serves as a source of inspiration for consumers looking to incorporate the latest color trends into their own personal style.

Why do an e-learning challenge on a single color?

Great question! As course designers, you're often asked to work within the constraints of a company’s branding guidelines to ensure your course designs align with the overall brand identity.

This type of design exercise forces designers to step outside their comfort zone and work with branding elements they wouldn’t naturally choose.

Whether or not you love this year’s color, be prepared to see it everywhere. From fashion to beauty products to e-learning design, Viva Magenta will be the most influential color over the coming year. And that’s what this final challenge of 2022 is all about!

How to Use the Pantone Color of the Year 2022 in E-Learning

E-learning designers can use Pantone's Color of the Year in various ways to create visually appealing and effective e-learning courses. Some specific ways that e-learning designers might use Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year include:

1. As a color palette: Use Viva Magenta to create a cohesive theme color for your course. This could involve using as a background color or incorporating it into graphical elements such as charts, diagrams, and icons.
2. As an accent color: Use as an accent color to highlight important information or to draw attention to specific areas on your slide. This could involve using the color in buttons, markers, or other interactive elements.
3. As a design element: Use color as a graphic design element to add visual interest to your course. This could involve using the color in backgrounds, gradients, or patterns.
4. In combination with other colors: Use Viva Magenta in combination with other colors to create a cohesive and visually striking design.

Working with Tints and Shades

One of the easiest and safest ways to create a color palette is to start with a base color and use tint and shade values for the secondary colors.

A tint is a lighter version of a color that is achieved by adding white to the color. Tints are often used to create a softer, more subtle effect than the full intensity of the color.

A shade is a darker version of a color that is achieved by adding black to the color. Shades are often used to create a more dramatic or sophisticated effect than the full intensity of the color.

E-learning designers can work with tints and shades in a variety of ways, depending on the desired effect and the context in which the design will be used. Here’s a super quick mockup I put together using one of the illustrated templates from Content Library:

How to Create Custom Colors in PowerPoint with Tints and Shades

Creating custom color palettes with tints and shades is a fantastic way to create a cohesive and visually appealing design. Here’s a quick tutorial on how you can create your own tints and shades color palette. 

View on YouTube | Download the PowerPoint Template

Challenge of the Week

This week, your e-learning challenge is to design a template or interaction using Pantone's Viva Magenta. 

Your slides can be static or built out as working interactions. Your goal is to work from a single color and show how you will carry that color across your design templates.

Resources

To get an idea of what course designers shared in previous color challenges, check out the following challenges:

• 2014: Radiant Orchid
• 2015: Marsala
• 2016: Rose Quartz-Serenity
• 2017: Greenery
• 2018:  Ultra Violet
• 2019: Living Coral

• 2020: Classic Blue
• 2021: Illuminating
• 2022: Very Peri

Share Your E-Learning Work

• Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post.
• Forums: Start  your own thread and share a link to your published example..
• Personal blog:  If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We’ll link back to your posts so the great work you’re sharing gets even more exposure.
• Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.

Last Week’s Challenge:

Before you dive into the magentaverse, check out the fantastic examples from last week's How Things Work challenge:

Examples of How Things Work RECAP #398: Challenge | Recap

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.

Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.