Colour standardisation company Pantone has announced it will release its first-ever character-branded colour later this year.
The official new Pantone colour, Minion Yellow, comes from the cartoon characters in the Despicable Me movies. Pharrell Williams, who helped create the music for the Despicable Me franchise, came up with the idea. Pantone worked closely with the animation team at Illumination, the company that created the Minions for movie studio Universal, to review the existing colour range and to identify the most pure representation of the Minions’ yellow colour.
Pantone’s latest colour: Minion Yellow
Pantone, a subsidiary of X-Rite, will add Minion Yellow to its Fashion, Home, and Interiors colour palette with the next colour addition in July; its first addition since 2012. Laurie Pressman, vice president at Pantone Colour Institute, says, “Colour 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 colour after a character for the first time in our history. 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.”
Jamie Stevens, executive vice president for global retail development at Universal, says, “Pantone has long established its reputation as the global colour authority. We are thrilled that their colour experts saw market demand for yellow and looked to the Minions, as global pop culture icons, to add into its yellow spectrum.”
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director for the Pantone Colour Institute, says, “Pantone Minion Yellow is a colour that heightens awareness and creates clarity, lighting the way to the intelligence, originality and the resourcefulness of an open mind. This is the colour of hope, joy and optimism.”
