Follow the Light

From Nelson Mandela to Google Glass, David Bowie to Yayoi Kusama—a look at this year's top headlines

Color consultant and adjunct professor at Parsons The New School for Design, Jasmine Takanikos was quick to share the Pantone color of the year announcement for 2014: Radiant Orchid. The bold shade reaches across the color wheel from the 2013 Pantone 17-5641 Emerald, flashing fuchsia, purple and pink undertones to create Pantone 18-3224. With the news out, expect an influx of purple in SS14 wardrobes.

Colorful Feelings

Robert Capa's surprising color photos, Google's 2013 Zeitgeist, Nico Muhly's review of Beyoncé and more

Vladimir Nabokov, Billy Joel, David Hockney, Stevie Wonder—these are all well-known influencers of culture who have synesthesia, a neurological condition where stimulation of one sense evokes the sensation of another. Chromesthesia (experiencing sounds in color) is the most common form, and Noisey explores its potential for taking music to a new level, with chromesthetes like Pharrell Williams and Aphex Twin leading the way.

Nico Muhly’s Glorious Beyoncé Review

Robert Capa's surprising color photos, Google's 2013 Zeitgeist, Nico Muhly's review of Beyoncé and more

Composer Nico Muhly works well beyond the confines of classical music, collaborating with everyone from Diplo to Bjork. The breadth of his musical taste is as strong as his skills in creating it, and from his recent review of Beyoncé’s new album, writing about it as well. While in rural Iceland, he was awoken in the night to join hundreds of thousands online in downloading …