Pantone Names A New Color After Dispecable Me's Minions

You know a pop culture thing is a BIG thing when even serious business institutions get into it as well. That definitely sounds like the situation here when the Pantone Color Institute, which is responsible for one of the most popular color palettes in the industry, has just added "Minion Yellow" as its newest named color, designed after the lovable yellow creatures from the Despicable Me films. This is quite big when you consider that Pantone has not named any new color since 2012, and the first one it does it names after fictional characters.

An "illuminating, energetic, friendly and fun-loving yellow shade that immediately calls out to you." That's how Pantone describes this particular shade of yellow, and it meshes well with the image of the Minions that you cannot despise. Many artists believe that colors hold meaning, though sometimes different ones depending on your culture, but, at least as far as majority goes, the description really hits the nail on the proverbial head.

"Just as the sun's rays enliven us, PANTONE Minion Yellow is a color that heightens awareness and creates clarity, lighting the way to the intelligence, originality and the resourcefulness of an open mind – this is the color of hope, joy and optimism," so says the Institute's Executive Director, Leatrice Eisenman. Curiously, the suggestion for Pantone Minion Yellow originally came from Pharrell Williams, who helped with the music for both Despicable Me films.

But in case you presumed that Panton Minion Yellow was simply born out of a whim, there is indeed some science and research involved in the color. Pantone had to work with Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio behind the Minions, to be able to determine the "most pure" yellow representing the characters. They also had to use spectroscopy to ensure that it didn't already duplicate existing Pantone colors. Just because minions are frivolous and insane doesn't mean the job of finding a matching color would be likewise.

And for those interested in the actual Minions, Despicable Me 2 premieres July 10.

SOURCE: Pantone

VIA: CNET