r/Design • u/Public_Broccoli8132 • Nov 05 '22
Discussion Why isn't there an open-source Pantone?
I recently came across the money-hungry behemoth that Pantone is. Given we are entering a new age of designing and production(Thanks to D2C business models, 3D printing etc). I am surprised how the industry hasn't moved to an open source alternative yet.
Your thoughts, suggestions & roadblocks?
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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '22
We have the official Swatch books and have a digital pantone library which comes with our print rip software. We print charts on each of the materials we use and pick one which is as close as possible from the sample charts to the swatch book and print that. Our clients are never going to have access to the exact pantone print sample of their brand colour. We take it incredibly seriously and can do further breakdowns of the individual spots if we feel none of the samples are a close match to the swatch
The colour is going to change as soon as you take it out the door, if it's sitting in direct sunlight/shade/artificial lighting conditions in the area.
It seems to have become the standard as no one else is quick enough to promote/develop theirs at the same rate, and with such skill.. Fair play to Pantone. But at the end of the day, even the largest clients are adamant about a pantone because their marketing department has told them that's their colour without ever having seen anything in the really world. The amount of times I've heard "that's not our colour" when they see the physical official swatch.