X-Rite and Pantone Win Prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD for Second Consecutive Year

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 12, 2018 – X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and Pantone LLC, are the winners of this year's world-renowned iF DESIGN AWARD for its Virtual Light Booth (VLB). The VLB is part of a comprehensive solution that brings a new level of accuracy and realism to the capture, communication and digital presentation of physical materials in the virtual world. A team of 63 judges, made up of independent experts from all over the world, reviewed a total of 6,400 entries and selected the VLB as a winner in the product discipline.

“It’s a great honor to win the prestigious iF Design Award for our Total Appearance Capture solution for the second consecutive year,” said Dr. Francis Lamy, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, X-Rite. “Total Appearance Capture, of which VLB is a key component, is the culmination of sixty years of color and appearance science. I’m very proud of the entire TAC development team that has brought this innovation to life.”

X-Rite’s Total Appearance Capture (TAC™) ecosystem addresses a key challenge in product design – the ability to accurately capture and virtualize today’s increasingly complex materials such as special effect paints and synthetic fabrics. The VLB is the industry’s first 3D visualization environment for evaluating material appearance. It allows users to accurately and efficiently visualize and compare 3D digital material renderings side-by-side with physical samples under a variety of lighting conditions. This helps ensure consistency between digital prototypes and final physical products. It empowers designers to make more informed material selection decisions reducing approval cycles and time to market.

The full TAC ecosystem enables product designers, 3D artists, material specifiers and marketers to create digital materials representations that simulate physical appearance characteristics such as color, texture, gloss, refraction, transparency, special effects (sparkles) and reflection properties. This helps streamline the overall design and manufacturing process and deliver the most compelling, photorealistic 3D visuals possible. The TAC ecosystem is comprised of the 2017 iF DESIGN AWARD winning TAC7 scanner, PANTORA™ Material Hub desktop application, and the VLB.

For more information regarding the TAC ecosystem, please visit us at www.xrite.com/TAC

About the iF DESIGN AWARD

For 65 years, the iF DESIGN AWARD has been recognized as an arbiter of quality for exceptional design. The iF label is renowned worldwide for outstanding design services, and the iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the most important design prizes in the world. Submissions are awarded in the following disciplines: Product, Packaging, Communication and Service Design/UX, Architecture and Interior Architecture as well as Professional Concept. All awarded entries are featured on the iF WORLD DESIGN GUIDE, in the iF design appand are displayed at the iF design exhibition Hamburg.

About X-Rite

Founded in 1958, X-Rite Incorporated is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. With Pantone, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Mich., with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite offers a full range of solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, photographers and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color and appearance throughout their processes. X-Rite products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles and medical industries. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com. For the latest news, information, connect with X-Rite on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

 About Pantone

Pantone provides the universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization – leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides brand identity consulting and custom color services, as well as trend forecasting inclusive of its annual Color of the Year announcement, Fashion Color Trend Reports, forecast publications and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce certified Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories. Learn more at www.pantone.com and connect with Pantone on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. 

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