Colour plays a big role in all types of design. The fortunate thing about colour in print (from fabric, plastic to paper etc.), there is a standard ‘code’ of colour, that can be referenced in artwork used for the print. The big issue today with colour, especially on the web and just in general viewing artwork on screen, colours can vary quite a lot from one screen to another or one device to another. Which makes it a bit impossible to use as an accurate guide. You can never tell what the other person see on the other side of his/her screen. Having a standardised colour reference for print can illuminate any surprises and everyone know what to expect. Pantone’s vast library of different colour guides are being used all over the world and growing with more colours each year.
The idea of having a reference to a colour swatch or guide is nothing new. Almost three hundred years ago, an artist mixed and described every colour imaginable in an eight hundred page book. In 1692 an artist A. Boogert started putting together this book in Dutch. Writing about the use of colour and making swatches of different colours with their hues and tints. The documentation of all of these colours, a few hundred years ago, looks rather similar to the Pantone swatches we use today. There is a high resolution scanned version of the book available online and fascinating to ‘page’ through.
Being able to reference a colour is also valuable to brands in their corporate guideline. Imagine Coke ending up with different shades of red, because there was no standard to reference. Because of the standard tone or red for Coke, across the globe, it can now almost be referenced as the ‘Coke red’. This concept of linking a colour reference to a company’s corporate guideline is a valuable and used concept.
Referencing colours in print can also be divided between printing with spot colours (referencing to Pantone colours) and CMYK (full colour printing process). These two concepts are a discussion for a separate blog post, which is why I have written about it already. Read more about it: Choose Your Colour (Part 1): CMYK vs. Spot Colour Printing
Our design studio uses Pantone Colours for your printing
As you might expect, our design studio is expert in using Pantone swatches to bring your design to life in print. We have the expertise and experience to perfectly match colours and shades in exciting ways. Providing a new take on your next print project. Please get in touch with us to discuss your design work. We’re ready to help.
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