Tuesday, January 7, 2014

My Beef with Pantone

Thanks to my sisters I'm always up on what the latest "color of the year" is per Pantone. Now I don't mean that as some kind of excuse to justify my manhood; I'm perfectly happy being a man who knows these kinds of things. I just wouldn't know about it were it not for my sisters. So thank you, dear sisters of mine.

That said, I have a beef with this year's color of the year:


Allow me to rephrase that. I don't have beef with the color, per se. In fact, I rather like it. I've always loved orchids (which gives me something in common with the most desirable contestants for The Bachelor...again, not ashamed), I generally have warm feelings towards purples, and I think the visual design of the image above is fantastic.

My beef mainly comes from the name of the color. Radiant Orchid. Now I don't know about you, but the word "radiant" doesn't describe this color for me. When I think of something that's radiant I think of something that's bright, something that catches my attention. I think of it similar to how I understand words like "dazzling" and "brilliant." And this color ain't none of them things.

This "radiant orchid" is a great color. It's calming. And soothing. And maybe even a little bit nostalgic. But nowhere in this color do I see radiance. And I needed the world to know that I see no radiance here. 

3 comments:

  1. It is totally expressive of "love, confidence or happiness." :)

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  2. Two things:
    1. I vote for "Nostalgic Orchid". Yep.
    2. That is one of my all-time favorite commercials. I love beef. I love Copland. Win/Win.

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  3. You are completely right, of course. I had not clue that such a thing as a color of the year existed (I have failed my younger sisters and brother in this) but am just as shocked at their name choice, now that you mention it. "Halcyon Orchid" has a better ring to it.

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