Columbus in PANTONE

Words by Megan Smith / Layout by Bryce Patterson

Before 1963, every printing company had its own color guide; “blue” was printed differently depending on how each ink house interpreted that color to look. As a result, some blues were greener, and some were more violet. And, more likely than not, there would be a good bit of disappointment at the result a designer was looking at.

In 1963, Lawrence Herbert created a new system for identifying and matching colors to solve the problems printers and designers were having during the production process. Herbert called his system the Pantone® Matching System® - a thick book of standardized colors consisting of cardboard sheets, with a series of related color swatches bound together into a “fan deck.” The system proved successful, allowing designers in print, publishing, packaging, graphic arts, paint, plastics, computer, film, textile, and fashion to see what “blue” would genuinely look like on paper with no guesswork or surprises.

As of 2019, there were 2161 Pantone colors. Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has announced a color “Color of the Year,” chosen during a secret meeting of experts from various nations’ color standards groups.

While the year’s color for 2023 was announced to be Viva Magenta, the Pantone Color Institute also released a list of 15 shades that would dominate the spring and summer of 2023.

At (614) Refined, we took inspiration from the ultracalm tints and tones of the Core Classics selections as we traveled about town for this issue. Here’s how we saw these five color swatches emerging around Columbus in the most delicious, delightful, and refined ways.

PANTONE 17-1221 (Macchiato)

A delectable brown with a light layer of foam

Metal Vase from Gallery II

PANTONE 12-4604 (Skylight)

A pure and watery cleansing aqua

Hydrangeas during our walk to Chapman's Eat Market

PANTONE 13-3804 (Gray Lilac)

A dreamy and ethereal lilac infused gray

Textiles from Celeste's studio

PANTONE 15-0628 (Leek Green)

A vegetal green with subtle flavor

Coffee table book from Gallery II

PANTONE 12-1009 (Vanilla Cream)

A soft and delicous creamy tone

Budino recipe on page 34