After introducing 366 new shades in 2012, Pantone – a benchmark scale in the world of graphics – has been a bit bogged down in novelties. A few years later the company came back with a colour inspired by the cartoon world: the “Yellow Minions”. The colour is obviously inspired by the yellow characters, or helpers of the evil Gru, who were launched by Despicable Me. In a short time, these little creatures have reached such popularity that they have earned a film all to themselves and a myriad of side projects dedicated to them.
General information: What is a Pantone colour?
For those who are not versed in the industry, Pantone is the most widely used colour scale in printing and is owned by Pantone Inc in the US. The company blog says that the Pantone system was developed in the 1950s to classify colours and translate them into a simple CMYK four-colour printing system (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) using a code. The colours and their codes are then inserted in a catalogue, also called group, where you can browse and select them.
Each colour has an identifying code that is used to specify precise information such as the amount of Red, Yellow, Blue and the primary colours needed to obtain that specific hue. Thanks to this code, it is possible to describe the exact shade of a colour and be sure it is replicated without any variation.
What is it with the Minions?
It seems that the one who inspired the Pantone Color Institute to devote a colour to the Minions was Pharrell Williams, the author of the film’s soundtrack. The idea was immediately received with enthusiasm by the company, which found it ingenious. Associating a colour with a cartoon characters even made sense from a financial point of view.
The motivations though run deeper than you might think. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, the colour “Pantone Minion Yellow” has a positive influence on people because it is synonymous with intelligence and originality. It can be considered the colour of joy and optimism, things we all need.
Pantone has therefore been able to respond to our need for positivity with a cheerful and lively product that conveys hope, joy and optimism.
Discover Minions also in a technological version!
If you find these cute little yellow things simply irresistible, you can also discover them in their charger, power bank, earphones and USB stick versions, as faithfully reproduced by Tribe!
