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It's a Pan, Pan, Pan, Pantone World!

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Or at least that's what it seems like. Everywhere I turn these days I run into some product bearing a solid field of color anchored by the familiar white band with black Helvetica letters. Once only recognizable to designers, this color-speccing system's visual device is now as ubiquitous as a Starbucks (their green is Pantone 3425, btw). Mugs, cell phone cases, water bottles, bags, furniture, christmas ornaments…if you can think of it, it's available! If you google "Pantone Products," you'll see this:



It's pretty amazing, this plethora of retail products bearing the Pantone mark. This made me wonder: how and when did all this start? 

Well, a little bit of background about Pantone for those not familiar with the company and what they do:

"In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system of identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community. His insight that the spectrum is seen and interpreted differently by each individual led to the innovation of the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM®, a book of standardized color in fan format.
Since then, Pantone has expanded its color matching system concept to other color-critical industries, including digital technology, textiles, plastics, architecture and contract interiors, and paint." You can go a little deeper into their history here.

OK, well and good, a color matching system, sounds very practical and technical. While that's certainly true, it's no longer just all numbers and formulas. Since their foray into the textile (hence fashion) world, they've gotten into the business of color forecasting, and their annual declaration of a "Color of the Year" is as much-anticipated in some circles as an Oscar for a Best Picture is in the film industry ("Emerald" Pantone 17-5641 is the color for 2013, btw). Here's an interesting article from Slate Magazine on how the color forecasting sausage gets made. I was further surprised to see Color of the Year product tie-ins with mainstream retail giants like Sephora and JCP:




Pantone's visibility and recognition is at an all-time high--no wonder I'm seeing all this stuff! However, it's still a niche enough industry that not EVERYONE on the planet is familiar with it--not like, let's say, "Gangnam Style." That was proven to me this past Halloween when I made this costume:




I got a lot of bemused looks and questions, but there were a few nods of recognition. The lesson here is: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

- Stephanie Han

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