DURHAM, NC (December 5, 2022) — Spoonflower, a global eCommerce and print-on-demand wallpaper leader with a Marketplace featuring over 1 million designs created by Independent Artists from around the world partnered with Pantone for its annual Pantone Color of the Year announcement, which took place during Art Basel Miami Beach.  

Spoonflower was among the premier partners at the December 1 reveal of Pantone’s Color of the Year 2023, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta, with artwork that was prominently displayed on over 900 square feet of Spoonflower’s Peel and Stick wallpaper on the second floor of ARTECHOUSE Miami. The space served as a PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta custom print cornucopia designed by six Spoonflower Independent Artists, and the exhibit is open to the public through Spring 2023. The Pantone Color of the Year 2023 designs were also printed on Spoonflower cocktail napkins that were included in 200 gift bags and distributed to guests.

Creative expression is the organic throughline connecting the brands and is exhibited respectively by Spoonflower’s design and Pantone’s color expertise. The marriage between design and color is amplified by Spoonflower’s talented network of surface design Artists who consider Spoonflower home to their unique prints, and are paid royalties when their designs are purchased and printed on Spoonflower wallpaper, home decor and fabric.

Spoonflower has featured Pantone Color of the Year 2023 Design Challenges on its platform for several years, however the December 1 reveal and subsequent launches of the 2023 quarterly Design Challenges – with dates that will be announced early 2023 and unique color palettes from which the Independent Artists will design – represents the two brands’ official alliance. The six Spoonflower Independent Artists whose designs were curated for the Color of the Year reveal event included: Virginia Odien, Jeanetta Gonzales, Judy Quintero, Elishka Jepson, Cecilia Mok and Brittany Jepsen.

“We really consider that the partnership connecting the authority in surface pattern design with the authority in color has been years in the making,” said Spoonflower’s Head of Brand Marketing, Sarah Ward. “We’ve been dreaming of linking arms with Pantone for as long as we can remember. In addition to having an enormous amount of respect for Pantone’s globally recognized, stellar standard as color thought leaders, our years’ worth of Pantone Color of the Year 2023 Design Challenges on Spoonflower.com has created such a dynamic and diverse design collection that represents the ingenuity of our Independent Artists, and offers the entire Spoonflower community the opportunity to create spaces they love with a Pantone Color of the Year 2023 and Spoonflower design on wallpaper, home decor or fabric as the centerpieces of their aesthetic vision. This partnership allows Pantone fans to explore what’s possible when color is the star of designs and is a fresh enthusiasm renewal for artists. Spoonflower and Pantone truly represents the best of both worlds for creatives.”

Annually, Pantone’s Color of the Year announcement is shrouded in secrecy and includes a countdown on its site until the designated date and time the company reveals the color. The announcement is eagerly anticipated by worldwide artisans, fashion designers, brands and space makers. Its union with Spoonflower is a landmark partnership for both brands’ respective audiences.

“We have admired Spoonflower from afar, so we knew 2023 was the year to finally join forces with leaders in surface pattern design who value the power of our Pantone Color of the Year as much as we do,” said Sara Walker, Pantone’s Senior Director, Digital Marketing. “One of our favorite components of this partnership is the fact that Spoonflower’s quarterly, Pantone-featured Design Challenges will mean people can see seasonally relevant color palettes come to life. Pantone color palettes will serve as the creative canvases that will inspire thousands of Spoonflower Independent Artists from around the world, and we can’t think of a better way to show people what’s possible when design and color collides with their individual self-expression which is very reminiscent of the spirit of PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta.”

Spoonflower’s Weekly Design Challenges encourage creativity by inviting its Artist community to submit designs around fun themes and vote on favorites to win prizes. They also provide a recurring reason for consumers to see what trending and new designs are being served. The Design Challenge experience is an engaging platform that incentivizes Independent Artists at every stage of their creative development to bring more designs to market, encourages their interaction with each other and ensures Spoonflower maintains its reputation as a surface pattern design authority. Between 2020 and Q3 2022, nearly 90,000 Design Challenge prints have been uploaded, 5.3 million Design Challenge votes have been cast and over 25 million all-time votes have been cast. Additionally, as of Q3 2022, 670 Design Challenges have been conducted.

Among the most profound stories linking the brands is that of Miami-based Spoonflower Independent Artist, Judy Quintero. Quintero and her husband, Ralph, own one of Spoonflower’s most successful minority-owned small businesses and, in Q1 2022, reached $1M in Spoonflower royalties.

“The ethos behind the  Pantone Color of the Year 2023 is a beautiful, empowering and optimistic message to humanity. It is a celebration of the world we know right now and the endless possibilities that exist, which are yet to be discovered. It is a reminder that we have the power within us to do unimaginable things. My print, 'Wonderful World' highlights the harmony of the world around us and how we are all interconnected,” Quintero said.

Featured designs:

• Cecilia Mok "Ecology" (available in two colorways) | Shop ceciliamok on Spoonflower.com
• Jeanetta Gonzales "Breaking Boundaries" | Shop jeanetta_gonzales on Spoonflower.com
• Judy Quintero "Wonderful World" | Shop shopcabin on Spoonflower.com
• Brittany Jepsen "Floret" (available in two colorways) | Shop thehousethatlarsbuilt on Spoonflower.com‍
• Elishka Jepson "Science of Color" | Shop robyriker on Spoonflower.com‍
• Virginia Odien "Avian: Bold Birds" | Shop vo_aka_virginiao on Spoonflower.com‍