Each year, Pantone announces its highly anticipated “Color of the Year”. The selection is intended to serve as a strategic direction for design and color-conscious industries as well as a conversation piece around our culture, where it is going and what we collectively need…and it certainly gets everyone talking about color!
Color is no longer just something we see and appreciate - it enhances and influences the way we experience life. Color, as a strategic element of design and experience, can be the reason why something – whether it be a product, a piece of art, a setting, or a brand - resonates or not. From fashion to home goods to cosmetics and more, many manufacturers have extensive processes that ensure their teams are prepared to quickly incorporate the newly announced color(s) into their product lines.
So, what is the 2019 Color of the Year? PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral!
Why Should Manufacturers Care about the Color of the Year?
As you can imagine, the prep work that precedes the declaration of a prominent color like Living Coral can seem like an overwhelming and rushed process. This is a warranted feeling, as the speed to produce a color rising in significance like Living Coral can often be the difference between winning or losing business.
The importance of speed-to-market is something that manufacturers recognize, but struggle to improve. If this is true for your business, follow the four steps below, so that you can bring Living Coral into your production before your competitor.
1. Invest In (Or Maintain) Color Technology:
Whether you’re brand new to color management and measurement, or have been in the industry for years, it’s imperative to stay up-to-date with the latest instrumentation and software. With time, color tools and solutions evolve and their ability to capture and communicate color improves… giving those with current instruments a competitive advantage.
*If you’re ready to kick-start OR upgrade your existing hardware and software to what’s current, check out our limited-time bundles. Available for a limited time only, they offer up to 15% off the normal listing price.)
2. Manage Your Color…. Early:
When you don’t measure incoming raw materials and provide clear guidance to suppliers, your color has the potential to be off from the very start. Avoid incorrect color down the production line by measuring early, and often.
3. Communicate Color Digitally:
Remove the subjectivity from color evaluation by introducing digital color standards into your workflow. By associating a quantitative value to a color, both internal and external customers have an uncomplicated way to reference, discuss, and align on a color.
4. Deliver Consistent Measurements:
It is hard to deliver consistent color across departments, geographies, or even different production runs in one location without utilizing tools to keep your measurement devices in spec. One way to do this is with a software solution called NetProfiler which reduces variances among devices allowing users to verify and optimize the performance of their devices. It is an easy-to-use solution that is a critical element of an effect end-to-end workflow.
So, What’s Next?
If your business is already on the fast-track to producing Living Coral, we invite you to share your story with us! If you’re on the opposite side of the spectrum – and don’t know where to start – simply reach out to our team of experts and we’ll contact you within 24 hours (we know that every minute counts!).
Best of luck in producing Living Coral - wishing a fast speed-to-market to all!
Read more about Pantone’s Color of the Year partners at https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2019.
