Pantone's Color of 2013

So, it turns out that Pantone's Color of 2013 is green! 17-5641 Emerald, to be precise. According to Pantone's press release, this shade, 'a vivid verdant green, enhances our sense of well-being further by inspiring insight as well as promoting balance and harmony'. Last year's colour was 17-1463 Tangerine Tango, which was chosen for 2012 because, as 'a spirited reddish orange', it 'provided the energy boost we needed to recharge and move forward'.



 Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, declares that 'green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum... As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.'

I'm fascinated by the idea of selecting a single colour to represent a year. Is it a kind of collective synaesthesia, or simply marketing? And how much influence does it actually have on the colours of products people buy? Apparently, each year a new colour is selected after a two-day conference in a European capital (this article in Slate has a fascinating report on the process), where a group of colour specialists decide on the hue which best represents the zeitgeist of the year ahead.

What do you think? Is emerald a good colour for 2013?