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Pantone Color Guide – Why Is It Important

Written by
Tina Williamson
Published on
July 13, 2020 at 11:04:00 PM PDT July 13, 2020 at 11:04:00 PM PDTth, July 13, 2020 at 11:04:00 PM PDT

Article updated July 13, 2020


Flags, logos, and banners are a great way to represent a community and bring uniformity. The design of these products have a lot of thought behind the images, symbols, and colors that are chosen, as well as what they stand for. Take the U.S. Flag for example – red symbolizes valor and bravery, white symbolizes purity and innocence, blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance, and justice. These colors likely weren’t chosen at random, they were selected for what they represent and when the production of a United States flag is needed, it is expected to look exactly how it is intended to. Same goes for any materials that require printing and production, it is expected that the product to come back exactly as it was designed.


What is Pantone?

Pantone is the expert on color management around the globe; it creates the standard language for color communication among various industries. It is an entirely systemized and simplified structure of precise mixtures of various inks used in process printing. Pantone colors are essential to graphics in order to create unique designs with specific detail and color arrangements, and then to have them printed exactly as they were intended. From designers and manufacturers to retailers and consumers, Pantone ensures everyone is on the same page regarding exactly what a color should look like.


You may have also heard of the CMKY and RGB color scheme, but what is the difference between the three? The main difference in printing is the level of accuracy. The Pantone process is more consistent and able to produce colors closer in shade to the ones seen in the digital design stage. Pantone swatches usually contain all of the different color models you might need for a given color. They allow designers to color match specific colors when they have designs that are beginning to enter the production stage – no matter what equipment is being used to produce the design.


Carrot-Top’s Use of Pantone

Carrot-Top Industries has a staff of experienced graphic designers who rely on the Pantone color system with each custom product order. When a customer submits artwork for their order or quote, the file is sent to our graphic designers who convert your design into a vectorized file used for detailed print production. Part of the design process is translating the CMYK and RGB colors into their Pantone equivalent. Here in lies the challenge. Take the color blue for example, it is a primary color and one that we see often on street banners or city flags. Ranging from navy to turquoise, there are more than 100 different shades or variations of blue. Some color tones are easy to differentiate with the naked eye, but without a reference point, it is a challenge for any designer to match the exact shade used in your design or logo. This is when the Pantone Color Guide comes in handy. Our designers will review all similar hues within the pantone swatch library to find the perfect match to your original submission. The designer submits the artwork to the customer for approval outlining the colors selected and the overall layout. This gives the customer the opportunity to make changes to any element in the design. Once the artwork is approved by the customer the final vector design is sent with your order details to our production team.


As the leading color matching system, their knowledge of color is unparalleled. Which is why Carrot Top utilizes the Pantone matching system to ensure your product is nothing short of perfect.