How #Pantone Became The Definitive Language Of #Color | Co.Design | business + design
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The Pantone of today started as a graphic standards system for professional designers in 1963 but has morphed into a global design force starting in the 2000s due in part to calculated marketing efforts and initiatives. It’s not just about the Pantone Matching System (PMS for short); it’s the Color of The Year, the Pantone Color Institute, Pantone hotels, Pantone cafes, Pantone mugs, Pantone iPhone keyboards, Pantone lipstick, and tie-ins to the movie industry. (Looking at you, Minion Yellow.)
The elaborate web of products represents the company’s strategic and unwavering quest to become the universal language of color—and a brand synonymous with good design. While Pantone does not disclose earnings reports, it was acquired by X-Rite, a manufacturer of color measurement tools, for $180 million in 2007.