The History of Pantone Color
Before Pantone, Inc. developed its Color Matching System in 1963, there was no color standard in the graphic design industry. Over the past four decades, Pantone has expanded from a small business to a global leader in standardized colors for printing on paper, plastic and textiles.
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Lawrence Herbert
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Pantone originally made color cards for cosmetic companies, according to DesignFace.co.uk. Lawrence Herbert, an employee since 1956, purchased the company in 1962 and began working on a color matching system.
Purpose
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The Pantone Color Matching System created a standard method for users to match colors exactly during the graphic design process.
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Development
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According to FundingUniverse.com, Herbert created a palette of ten basic color inks or pigments from which any color could be mixed.
Marketing
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In 1963 Herbert pitched his idea to the country's largest ink manufacturers. In less than two weeks he had sold licensing opportunities to twenty companies.
Problem Solved
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Pantone solved a basic problem for many businesses. For example, Kodak used several different companies to print film boxes, resulting in different shades of yellow. Customers preferred to buy the brighter boxes, believing the darker yellow boxes did not contain "fresh" film. Pantone's new standard meant every box of Kodak film looked exactly the same, no matter where it was printed.
Pantone Today
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Today Pantone is the global standard for print colors, with more than 1700 different shades. As of 2009, Herbert was still the company's CEO.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of David Bleasdale
