February 2026 Color Alert®
Contemplative • Forward-Thinking • Restrained Power
Purple reigns, but not as a symbol of absolute or inherited power. Instead, it emerges as a color of contemplation, community, and forward movement. A deep dive into reality rather than escape, it questions what exists while seeking paths ahead.
Protopia is a dark, low-chroma purple that envelops and protects. It carries a comforting calm, yet remains alert, quietly questioning what feels suspicious or harmful. Originating in discussions at CMG European meetings as a Main Key Color for 2026, it stands as a new kind of armour. Where topia simply identifies a place, adding pro implies progress. Protopia reframes strength: not loud or dominant, but considerate and tactful, across product lines, and across humanity.
Initially considered strong for automotive and visual communications, Protopia is expected to extend easily as a statement hue in fashion and home décor. In automotive applications, it balances presence with restraint. Gloss finishes create a bold arrival signature for luxury and sports models, while matte surfaces soften the expression, making it well suited to SUVs and smaller city cars.
In communication design, Protopia provides a rich, grounding backdrop from which strong messages can emerge. Paired with acid yellow-green or orange, the effect is warm yet unflinching. Combined with patinated green or soft blue, the message becomes quieter, but retains an undercurrent of resolve.
Purple has long been tied to nobility, but Protopia belongs to everyone. It is a color that carries power without display, confident, protective, and quietly assertive, making it an essential hue across categories, cultures, and borders.
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About CMG's Color Alert®
Color Alert is an exciting monthly feature from Color Marketing Group® (CMG), illuminating one color each month from our World Color Forecast™ and validating our color predictions in the market. As a color litmus test, and drawing from North American, European, Latin American, and the Asia Pacific directional Forecasts, Color Alert brings CMG's directional color stories to life, whether seen on store shelves, cruising along highways, or strutting fashion runways.
Color Marketing Group holds Color Forecasting Workshops - ChromaZones - and international Color Conferences to determine color direction approximately two years in advance (depending on industry). For instance, colors for 2026 were forecast back in 2024. As the year unfolds we reveal one color per month. The results from these events are consolidated to form CMG's World Color Forecast which is revealed annually at CMG's International Summit.
Color Marketing Group is ready to share the excitement of color on an international scale and Color Alert lets the world know that CMG members are spot on with color direction. The eyes of its members are keen on the current emergence of color while staying focused on future hues. Knowledge, discovery, direction, and affirmation make Color Marketing Group the premier international association for color design professionals, and Color Alert allows us to share it with the world.