Note: In our last installment we walked through the release of Pantone’s Goe system, and the lessons learned from that product’s lackluster launch. Those insights fed directly into changes to the Pantone Matching System (PMS) that culminated in this year’s launch of Pantone Plus. Now, we’ll dig into the details of the this brand new system, and what it means for designers, printers, and anyone else involved in laying ink on paper.
What is Pantone?
If you’ve ever held color-printed piece in your hands, there’s a good chance you’ve been touched by Pantone. The self-described “authority on color”, Pantone has become an integral part of graphic design and printing, greatly influencing the color of our world. Since 1963, Pantone has been the force behind the printing industry’s color standard, the Pantone Matching System (PMS). PMS is a standardized color reproduction system whereby different manufacturers and printers can accurately reproduce the same set of colors without direct contact with one another. This is significant for brands, because of the importance that consistent color reproduction has on brand identity and packaging. Color plays such a crucial role in brand association that some companies even commission their own colors. (Tiffany’s, well-known for its signature teal blue, actually has its own custom, trademarked Pantone color, PMS 1837.)
Here at Hexanine, we are passionate about helping raise up the next generation of designers and design thinkers. This is why, as a firm, we seek to pass along what we’ve learned by teaching, mentoring, and instructing.
We gain at least as much inspiration and encouragement from the work of our students as they receive from our instruction, so we’d like to pass it along by showcasing some of their impressive student projects. Periodically, we’ll highlight great work coming out of our classrooms on this blog.
Our copy of LogoLounge: Master Library, Volume 2: 3000 Animal and Mythology Logos has arrived! Ever a great source of inspiration, research, and insight, this new volume includes our work for Ocean Dawn, an upscale set of oceanfront luxury suites. Thanks to Rockport, Bill Gardner, Catharine Fishel, and the whole LogoLounge team for our inclusion, and for putting out such a great resource.
It’s been hyped as “magic”, “revolutionary” and the potential salvation of the publishing industry. A little thing called the iPad. Yes, it’s beautifully designed by Jonathan Ive. Yes, it’s simple to use. But why do people seem more willing to pay for news, magazines, and content when it’s delivered as an iPad app, when the same basic content has been on the boring, old Internet for years?
Last week we participated in the first-ever AIGA Chicago Design Week, five days of great events aimed squarely at the Chicago design scene. Crowd-juried design shows, panels, studio walks, art shows and our annual member meeting. It was an amazing whirlwind of events, inspiration, design and celebratory drinks in a great community of creative professionals.
Some of our work was included in the 2009-2010 Snapshot publication, seen below. Can’t wait for next year!
UPDATE: You can now see the Snapshot in all its glory as a PDF, courtesy of AIGA Chicago.
Last week Erin and Tim participated in a panel discussion at North Park University’s 2010 Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management Symposium, to discuss some of the issues nonprofit organizations face in branding themselves. The event was sponsored by EPIC, and Erin (founder of EPIC) moderated a panel of experts from some of Chicago’s best creative agencies and companies, including Gravity Tank, Museum of Contemporary Art, Threadless, Simple Truth, Critical Mass, Synthetic Infatuation, and others. Some of the comments overheard during the Q&A and one-on-one sessions:
And finally,
This last year has been a whirlwind for us at Hexanine, and the changes keep on coming! On today’s “very special episode” of Zeroside we’d like to give a huge welcome to our new partner, Erin Huizenga!
Erin joins us as Principal/Designer. Fresh from launching her own non-profit organization last year, Erin brings to Hexanine more than a decade of experience with both corporate and nonprofit clients—such as Motorola, OfficeMax, Grainger, Northwestern University, and Walgreens. She also founded, staffed and created curriculum for the design program at Chicago Portfolio School. In short, Erin brings a fantastic design pedigree and boundless enthusiasm into our midst.
She would love to discuss your next brand initiative, so feel free to drop her a line at erin {at} hexanine.com.
In honor of the first week of baseball, we wanted to give a little shout-out to the designer of one of the most iconic logos of the 20th century. Jerry Dior designed the Major League Baseball logo. Though there was previously some confusion about the logo’s authorship, after conducting the proper research, MLB officially announced its recognition of Dior as the designer this past September.
Previously, we discussed some tips for clients on selecting a design firm, and important considerations before entering into a working relationship. Once you’ve taken that step, it seems like the hard part is over—the design firm is going to do the work after all. Right? Well, it’s not really that simple. The challenge of working with your chosen team to create the best possible project is the responsibility of both design firm and client. On this journey there are some recognizable roadblocks you should avoid, allowing you to get the most out of your working design partnership and the money, time and energy you’ll be investing.