or subjective at the very least. and while i don’t want you to mistake that statement for meaning color choice is unimportant, there seems to be a notion within the design community that we must control the color of each piece to the endth pantone swatch. and yes, across multiple printed and digital channels, it is important that the color be consistent. but must it always be constant? that logo you printed in blue last time, could it be done in green this time? or yellow? the point is, i think we loose out on a lot of fun, variety and freshness when we marry a graphic identity to a color/color palette and are completely rigid about the color thereof.

consider nike. is there an official nike color? maybe, but i can’t find it if there is. looks like maybe they’re using orange a lot right now. but do a google image search for “nike swoosh” and you’ll see for yourself. there’s scarcely a color that nike hasn’t used in its materials or on its products. but does this deteriorate nike’s graphic identity? absolutely not. nike achieves great graphic integrity through the consistency of the swoosh. it is universally recognized, which leads me to my next post… (stay tuned).