Pantone brand creates a rainbow of new products

Designers and printers have always loitered around with their Pantone colour cards. It's a creative  industry thing, which indicates to others that they're in the 'colour business' and you shouldn't mess with them.

Now it seems that Pantone Inc - a company founded in New Jersey in 1962 - is getting tired of just printing pretty coloured cards and is extending its famous brand into new colourful products.
Starting in Japan they've hired a big shot business stratergist and are developing strategic branding partnerships with companies like Sharp and Uniqlo, to produce a new range of colour-coded items like these Pantone cellphones. [More]

Europe might also be getting in on the goldrush - these Pantone mugs are now available via a UK e-tailer.

Opportunities? - there are plenty. We weren't even aware that Pantone was a registered trademark, but if you're in the business of producing products that could explode with a touch of colour, maybe the Pantone guys would be keen to partner up.

[via Jean Snow]