Pantone picks deep purple 'Ultra Violet' as color of year

NEW YORK (AP) — What we have here in 2017 is a heap of chaos and disruption. What we need in 2018? The Pantone Color Institute thinks whatever that might be will come in the deep purple hue of "Ultra Violet," its color of the year revealed Thursday.

The color wasn't chosen because it's regal, though it resembles a majestic shade. It was chosen to evoke a counterculture flair, a grab for originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking, Pantone Vice President Laurie Pressman told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement.

"We are living in complex times," she said. "We're seeing the fear of going forward and how people are reacting to that fear."

Pressman wasn't keen on talking politics.