What Pantone colors can do for
you...
The brown truck of UPS, McDonald’s Golden Arches™,
Coca-Cola’s red logo, IKEA’s signature blue and yellow
logo—all of these companies and many more use color to maintain
a consistent and readily identifiable image. But, how does a global
company like McDonald’s ensure that their trademarked logo
printed on packaging in Japan matches the color used on signage
here in the US?
Enter the Pantone® Matching System®, known to many as
PMS or simply Pantone colors. First created in 1963 by Lawrence
Herbert, the Pantone system has become the worldwide trusted source
for the art and science of color. According to www.pantone.com,
Herbert was “fascinated by the challenge of developing a
universal color specification system.” He set out to create
universal color standards and succeeded with incredible results.
PMS colors are now used in many different industries, including
digital technology, textiles and fashion, plastics, paint, architecture,
and (of course) printing.
Forecasting colors for upcoming years has become big business
for Pantone. Insight into what colors consumers will find desirable
is of the utmost importance to the fashion and interior decorating
industries. What clothing colors will consumers want next year?
What paint colors will be hot? What colors will fall out of favor?
As if looking into a crystal ball, the color masters at Pantone
can offer these forecasts with remarkable accuracy. According
to www.pantoneuniverse.com,
the upcoming hot colors in fashion include “Nourishing”
and “Recharging” colors. These new colors have names
like Winetasting, Beet Red, Pinecone, Medal Bronze, Darkest Spruce,
and Fennel Seed. Coming soon to stores near you!
Additionally, the printing industry relies on Pantone for accurately
matching colors as they run on press. Press operators mix the
inks as they are needed according to the specific formulas indicated
in the Pantone color guides. For example, if your logo consists
of a reddish color called PMS 201, the pressman printing your
job would know exactly what color that is and be able to match
it exactly. For nearly everyone in the printing industry, the
guesswork behind creating and matching colors has been taken out
of the formula. Color consistency is the rule, not the exception.
A few tips for using color in your marketing efforts:
1. Keep your colors, design, and message clean and concise. Overusing
color can be hard for a customer to read or understand. (Just
think of those websites that make poor use of color and muddy
their messages.)
2. Use your chosen colors consistently. If you have picked out
a Pantone color, be sure that your printer or webmaster is aware
of it. That way you can be assured that your celadon green logo doesn’t print as forest green.
3. Ask the experts. If you want to explore new color possibilities
for your logo or overall company image, consult with Tara Ingalls
of Tingalls Design. She will help move your small business to
a new level of marketing and communications. Your marketing
will have more impact, your mailings will be more noticeable,
and your business will look more even more professional. |
