Industry Profiles

How better to reflect the burning heat of summer than with a red-hot tone? Exciting and free-spirited, this shade — dubbed Fiesta by Pantone — is suited to this American moment in time in more ways than one, described Mark Woodman, owner mark woodman design+color.

“This is a color of passion, and that covers a lot of territory,” he pointed out. “It is romantic passion, it is the passion of conviction of beliefs. It speaks to the quest of going boldly forth with a message, standing your ground and seeing it through to an outcome. It burns with desire, for love, fairness, and, as I said, the conviction of beliefs.”

Woodman first noticed red emerging internationally “as more of a pure red, of love and tenderness,” he explained. “(It) has grown to its fiery presence through the strength of passionate marches and protests. It connotes energetic, positive movement.”

The color also alludes to a different sort of heat and passion, that of spiciness, Woodman continued. “ This is an exuberant color that connotes flavors that make you take notice. It stimulates the appetite, both physical and mental. It’s a color of power, of warmth and of health.”

Look for it popping alongside simple black and white, energizing with yellow, red and plum, or giving dark gray a sharper edge. “It is also a natural with green, but with its energy, the greens will be pared back, slightly, to create a grounding element to this stronger hue,” he observed. “With all of its power, this color still needs some balance.”

Expect this shade to burn bright the next year or two, Woodman finished. “Its freshness and vitality takes red to a new level, keeping its classic meanings and imbuing it with a new sense of power, urgency and passion.”