Graphic Designer Matches Everyday Objects to Pantone Colors

Texas-based graphic designer Inka Matthew started color-matching everyday objects to her Pantone chip book on a whim. When she decided to match a vibrant blue flower from her yard to the correlating Pantone color, she shared the image with friends and was surprised by the huge positive response she received. That first chip match turned into a blog, Tiny PMS Match, which in turn landed her book deal which is scheduled for a spring 2016 release.

Matthew chooses images invested with significance for her, such as a seashell from a family vacation to Galveston or her husband’s cholesterol-reducing pills. “I pick objects that have meaning to me and are things that I want to remember. Because of this project, I pay more attention to the details around me, especially in nature,” she says.

She finds matches to Pantone colors 95% of the time. Matthew photographs the images with her iPhone and uses Snapseed for photo-editing, but never alters the color values to match. “The project made me more aware of the colors around me and it’s such a huge range,” she said.

Story and images via FastCoDesign.