On the eve of the new millennium, Pantone Inc. -- the leading authority on color -- took the bold move of viewing the global zeitgeist through sky blue colored glasses. Cerulean, declared the Pantone Color Institute, was the color of the year and a reflection of what was going on in the world.
"We started [choosing a color of the year] in 2000 when everybody was so antsy about the turn of the century. To calm people at that time, we had gone with Cerulean blue," said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the New Jersey-based company. "Since then we have looked to gauge what is going on and associate a color that reflects what is going on globally."
Color, said Pressman, sets the mood and the tone. It enhances or detracts from an environment. It has an undeniable physiological impact. And it is integral to good design. "Color to me is part and parcel with material, texture, everything that goes into creating a successful product," she said.
On Monday evening, Pressman will lecture on the topic at SCAD Atlanta, kicking off a week of events for SCAD Style, the annual series of free, public lectures and events highlighting areas of fashion, architecture and industrial design.
More than a decade after its introduction, Pantone's Color of the Year is a major influence for designers and consumers. This year's red-hot, red-orange hue known as Tangerine Tango has found its way into photo spreads of fashion magazines, designer collections (including Tommy Hilfiger and Derek Lam), and a partnership with Sephora stores that yielded a collection of color cosmetics, brushes and other tools.
But the company is most known for its Pantone Matching System, a method of color coding that allows the language of color to be translated globally, glitch-free.
"You are doing production in so many counties that don't speak English," Pressman said. "There are so many people touching the product you are trying to create, you need an unambiguous way to describe that color."
With 2,100 Pantone colors touching virtually every aspect of design, it's a safe estimate that 50 percent of the colors any one consumer encounters on a regular basis are from Pantone, Pressman said.
"Color is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see when you go to sleep at night," said Pressman. "We are in such a cycle of color at this point."
Event Highlights -- SCAD Style 2012
6 p.m. Mon. -- Lecture with Laurie Pressman, vice president of Pantone, Inc.
3 p.m. Tues. -- Book signing and lecture, "Recipe for Press," by Amy Flurry.
6 p.m. Wed. -- Lecture with John Gidding, interior designer and HGTV personality.
11 a.m. Thursday -- Film and discussion with James Belzer, director of "The Tents," which documents the growth of New York Fashion Week from Bryant Park to its current home at Lincoln Center.
6 p.m -- Gallery tour featuring the Autumn/Winter 2011 collection of Ghanaian born fashion designer Mimi Plange. A lecture follows at 7 p.m.
All events take place at SCAD Atlanta, 1600 Peachtree St., building C, fourth floor. Events are free and open to the public. For more information visit www.scadstyle.com or call 404-253-3100.
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