We love colour. But choosing the right ones isn’t always easy. Because corporate colours don’t just need to look good on office hallways. They need to work on vans, brochure, uniforms, signage, stationery, websites, documents, phones, presentations, cakes and, well, you get the picture. In this feature, we consider the complexities of the spectrum and answer some colourful client questions...
01. How come what I see isn’t always what I get? Everyone sees colour differently. Light in stores, at home, in the street, in other countries and at different times of the year can affect our colour perception. On screen approvals are fine if you’re in a hurry and have printed from the same artwork before. But when working with new colours, a printer’s proof is essential for getting things right. Take your time checking proofs and if you get the chance, take them outside – daylight is best.
02. Can I match my colours in digital print? Colour matching is improving. Just as printers’ presses can tweak overall colour, you can change colours slightly on a digital press too. Paper stocks for digital print are specific to that process. So, if you’re used to seeing your corporate colours on an uncoated stock, it’s going to look very different from digital run. Ask to see samples when you’re printing on a new stock – it will give you a good idea of how the finished job will look.
03. So what’s hot and what’s not? ‘Complex’ and ‘exotic’ describe the intriguingly unusual and inviting colour palette for Autumn 2007. According to Pantone®, the global authority on colour, designers are turning to nuanced colours with subtle undertones to enhance ever-present neutrals and allow for clever and extraordinary colour combinations. Or something.
04. What’s so special about a special? You can print colour in two ways: spot colour and process colour. Spot colour applies a pre-mixed colour of ink straight onto the page. Process colour uses four standard ink colours (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) in very fine dots, creating many thousands of colours. Spot colour is perfect when you need a few exact colours, for example, on your stationery. Process colour is best for reproducing photographs or documents requiring multiple colours. Sometimes, you can use spot and process colour on the same document. For example, a company brochure may include colour photos (process colour) and a corporate logo (spot colour).
05. So, shall I go for a special? The cost of printing colour documents relates to the number of ink colours you use. As process colour requires four or more inks, spot colour can be cheaper when using fewer than four colours. Spot colour prints accurate, clean, bright colours. If colour match is crucial, then a spot is always best.
06. We’ve printed a spot for our corporate blue. On the stationery it looks fine. But on the brochure, the colour is deeper. We used a special, so what’s gone wrong? The paper you print on makes a huge difference to the finished design. Uncoated paper absorbs and flattens the colour whereas coated paper usually creates a smoother, deeper colour. Neither is better than the other. Ask the designer and they will advise you on what paper works best for that particular job. Ask to see printed samples for an idea of the finished effect.
07. It looked great on your print outs. But the on-screen PDF and print outs look completely different. There are three different aspects here: a print out from a calibrated printer, an on-screen representation, and a print out from an uncalibrated printer. The colours will always look different. If you prefer the original print outs, let us know; we have ways to match and specify particular colours. Don’t worry about what you see on screen or from your uncalibrated printer. What you see on the swatch is generally what you’ll get.
08. I love that colour. Can I trademark it? Technically, it is possible. You’ll need to ensure that you use trademarked colours appropriately, clearly demonstrating that they function as a badge of origin. For example, Cadbury tried trademarking their purple but as it was a background colour, the application was rejected. A colour trademark application must be very specific and have clearly defined Pantone® numbers.
09. I’ve gone off my food. Is it anything to do with painting the canteen in corporate blue? Probably. Blue is an appetite suppressant. In fact, some weight loss plans suggest putting food on a blue plate. Or even better, put a blue light in your fridge and lose pounds off your bum, tum and moobs. Because blue food occurs rarely in nature. No blue lettuce. No blue burgers. And aside from blueberries and a few blue-purple potatoes with ideas above their station, blue just doesn’t cut it in culinary circles. Consequently, we don’t have an automatic appetite response to blue. Furthermore, our primal nature avoids foods that are poisonous. A million years ago, when our earliest ancestors went foraging, blue, purple and black were warning signs of potentially lethal food.
10. I’m fed up looking at the same old colours. I want something out of this world. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University gathered light from galaxies several billion light years away. Next, they broke the light into the various colours of the spectrum. Then they averaged the colour values and discovered that an observer looking at the universe from outside would see it as beige. But this leaves one thing unresolved. Visionaries often say the only way to achieve true enlightenment is to become one with the universe. Does this mean we have to become one with beige?
Clients often ask us why agencies send them printer proofs to sign, even though they’ve approved the PDFs. Sometimes, it feels like another laborious part of the process. But it’s an essential one.
At the dawn of a new year, it’s natural to want to embrace mankind's myriad of technological enhancements. So why do I find myself back at my desk (yep, too cold for gardening) wondering why so many of the everyday things we rely on are just rubbish?