Making other colors green with envy, Emerald is chosen as 2013’s official color

If you’re tiring of traditional benefit auction themes, one option is to bypass the obvious choices and go with a color. For instance, emerald.

I’m talking about PANTONE® 17-5641 TCS Emerald: the official color of 2013. 

(You say you didn’t know there was an official color? I didn’t either, until 2011.)

Pantone describes the color as ““Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.” Two other words they used to evoke imagery were “healing and unity.”

At Art Basel Miami Beach last month (Dec 2012), I saw this work of art, which incorporates emerald. This might be a source of inspiration for us in the auction planning business.

Apparently the color has been trending in women’s clothing.  Retailers are moving to cash in. Sephora will offer the shade in eye shadows and nail polishes by March. JCPenney is the exclusive seller of Pantone emerald bedding, pillows, bath towels, and accessories.

Frankly I’m not a fan. I love green, but this is too heavy. It reminds me of Christmas, a season we’re leaving.

Furthermore, I’ve not seen this color much used in benefits, so I’m a bit stumped on what to show you for ideas. 

But in my effort to make it work, I dug through my photos to find some elements for inspiration. Here’s the best of what I found.

I wouldn’t call this emerald, but green lights bathed this December 2012 auction gala in Miami.

As you think about how to incorporate emerald (or any color) in to your gala, I find it helpful to think about the event in sections or components. Here are some ideas.

With its living plants, this centerpiece terrarium is filled with emerald colors

• Lighting
• Invitations
• Website accent color.  (White is always the best background color, but emerald could accent the page.)
• Auction centerpieces.  Live plants would incorporate emerald into the scheme in a natural way.
• Emerald-colored gift bags
• Plastic “gemstones” on your silent auction tables in a bright emerald color.  These could be scattered throughout all the tables or just in the jewelry section.
• Pins / stickers / beaded necklaces to give to guests when they purchase a raffle ticket
• Tableclothes
• Napkins
• Sharpie® pens in emerald hues, which can be used to write on silent auction bid sheets