Corporate Gear

Pantone Colors & the Important Role they Play in Co-Branding

How Pantone Colors are Effectively Used for Co-branded Gear

In the promotional products industry, Pantone colors help distributors accurately fulfill and apply their customer’s vision or brand requirements across standardized decoration methods. Corporate Gear expertly converts our clients brand colors into prevailing PMS colors from the appropriate Pantone color charts and books for the corresponding decoration method. This is especially meaningful in accurately matching a swatch on embroidery thread color charts or confirming the ink formula for full color heat transfers or screen printing. We know it sounds confusing, and it is, which is why you can rely on our team to take care of all the tiny details that go into placing a successful Corporate Gear order.

Pantone colors are considered the universal language for communicating formulas for spot colors, shades, or tints. The importance of Pantone formulas is often overlooked, but a successful co-branding campaign starts with our clients branding, and Pantone color charts and color managers ensure company guidelines and brand image are consistently applied during product embellishment.

Most brands have an established visual identity across digital and traditional print media. However, when the time comes for a new brand partnership, streamlining embellishment can be trickier than most are willing to admit. For example, how brand colors look can vary from the graphics in a digital marketing campaign verse the embroidered or screen printed polo featured in the photography for that campaign. Small inconsistencies like this add up over time, sending mixed messages that confuse consumers in target audiences. Corporate Gear confirms brand colors as exact Pantone spot colors for consistent decoration methods for all client facing services.

Still stressed about ordering new company apparel? Don’t be, our decoration guidelines provide a high-level outline for the most popular promotional products and branded apparel. In addition, our team will guide the adornment process and apply the best practices for imprinting brand images and colors every step of the way.

We see ourselves as brand stewards that act as a brand extension responsible for upholding our client’s visual identity. Do not stress over ordering new company swag, Corporate Gear provides free proofs and creative services with every order, including matching Pantone color swatches for embroidery, screen printing or heat transfers.

From matching and reviewing new Pantone colors to working backwards with dated or retired color books, Corporate Gear provides the highest service levels for all clients and partners. We put the “us” in customer service and it shows in everything we do.

First, let us start by posing the question what is a PMS color and what does PMS stand for? PMS color stands for Pantone Matching System and acts as a color standardization that identifies and matches colors through a numbering structure. Each PMS color contains specific values for HTML, CMYK, and RGB formulas. These formulas allow for a consistent look and feel across digital and physical applications and materials. If you are not well versed in this topic, do not sweat it, many of our top clients turn to our team for expert advice and PMS color guidance when ordering company swag. Short story long, we take care of all the important aspects that make for successful brand partnerships!

Did you know we provide free proofs and match PMS colors on every order?

Our Gear Guides will work with you during every step of your order to match brand colors to PMS colors from appropriate PMS color charts or Pantone color books. This means clients can be sure their company image remains consistent across all co-branded products.

How to Choose the Right Decoration Based on Product and Branding Assets

With so many distinct products and decoration options, it is hard to know which application will work best for the brand images at hand. Some brand images feature gradients which cannot be embroidered but look impressive imprinted as a heat transfer, or the product could be constructed of material that scorches when imprinted on! At the end of the day, our team of account specialists and product experts will go the extra mile to confirm the best practices for product decoration based on the branding assets provided.

A Virtual Proof of Concept for Every Corporate Gear Order

Before the embroidery machines run and the presses start printing, we work directly with our clients and require proof approval before moving any order into production. This free service adds value to the user experience by providing our clients with virtual proof of concept that represents the custom order they have placed.
It is true! Pantone color charts play a significant role when maintaining our clients’ brand image across all company apparel and accessories. Both online Pantone color charts and physical color palettes feature a full color spectrum labeled with their corresponding numbers and formulas. Our creative services utilize current and legacy Pantone color match charts comparing swatches across multiple systems for physical application. Corporate Gear will guide and standardize co-branding your promotional products and company apparel from start to finish.
With many different Pantone color books we often get asked the question “which Pantone color book should I use for the most accurate match for my order?” The simple answer is none because our creative services will take care of PMS colors for every order free of charge. If you decide it is time to gain a better understanding on the topic, the most widely used PMS color books for graphics and print are the Solid Coated and Uncoated books of Pantone colors. Watch this short video by Pantone about color swatch books and how to use them for branding purposes.
Full color heat transfers are an impressive decoration choice for brand images using multiple colors or gradients. Custom heat transfers are a quality option for small runs using a logotype that features a high number of colors. Full color heat transfer printing also works best for artwork that may be too detailed for direct embroidery. The Solid Coated Pantone Color Guide provides the most accurate representation when matching brand colors for custom heat press transfers. Products most ideal for full color transfers vary from t-shirts, sweatshirts & hoodies, to backpacks, duffle bags and more.
Embroidery thread color charts are used daily here at Corporate Gear. We ensure our clients’ brand colors align with the right thread color chart and corresponding Pantone colors. Our embroidery department uses the exact thread color verified in the embroidery thread color conversion chart for direct embroidery. The first logo is always free and we offer free proofs and shipping for every order. Click here to check out our blog about custom embroidered apparel and accessories from top tier brands.

Pantone Colors & the Important Role they Play in Co-Branding