“Pantone colors” as we know them today were created by Lawrence Herbet in 1963… or so we thought. It turns out, go back more than 300 years and a Dutch artist named “A. Boogart” put together an instructional book explaining how different amounts of water can change the hues and tone of colors used in water color paintings. What you get when you see the finished product is something way ahead of its time.

Pantone colors then

Pantone colors now

The idea then and now is relatively the same. Herbert did not see this book when he created the “Pantone Color System,” however, there are some similarities. Today we use a coloring system to have consistency in personal and business design such as a logo or a banner. This age old book was used more for students or starving artists. Back in 1692 when Traité des couleurs servant à la peinture à l’eau was created, it was the 17th Century, a time deemed as the “Golden Age of Dutch” painting. Researchers currently studying the book claim that only a handful of eyes would have ever seen the pages. Only one copy was made, so sharing your textbook was the only option to learn from it’s extremely detailed pages.

Here are some more pictures of the book’s beautiful pages. If you’d like to flip through them yourself, click here.

At Alexander’s, we use pantone colors and palettes all the time. That’s because printing is only part of what we do. We can help with every stage in the print and fulfillment process. That means design, printing, cutting, packaging, you name it. And if there isn’t something we can do in house, we contract with vendors that ensure the best product at an exceptional price. If you’re interested in creating a personal or business print project, give us a call. 801-224-8666