Pantone Color Institute has announced the creation of its first official new colour in almost three years - Pantone Minion Yellow.
In a tie-in with the upcoming Hollywood summer blockbuster Minions, Pantone worked with designers from Universal Pictures to find ‘the most average shade’ of yellow for the minions featured in the film.
“Based on the Minions from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me global film franchise, including the upcoming prequel Minions, Pantone Minion Yellow is an illuminating, energetic, friendly and fun-loving yellow shade that immediately calls out to you,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute.
"Just as the sun’s rays enliven us, Pantone Minion Yellow is a color that heightens awareness and creates clarity, lighting the way to the intelligence, originality and the resourcefulness of an open mind – this is the color of hope, joy and optimism," said Eiseman.
"Color is contextual and right now there is a desire for colours that are more vibrant and uplifting. This is especially the case with the yellows, so given the worldwide popularity of the Minions, it seemed only natural to name a color after a character for the first time in our history," said Laurie Pressman, Vice President, Pantone Color Institute. "When developing the colour, we worked directly with the animation team at Illumination, and we thoughtfully considered the characters' aura to ensure Pantone Minion Yellow is the exact right hue."
Pantone is a household name among designers and artists thanks to its Colour Matching System, a way of organising basically any conceivable colour, assigning a number, and specifying how to make it by mixing 14 base pigments. It’s used in manufacturing and publishing around the world as a way of standardising colours.
Minions opens in US theaters on July 10th, 2015.