As their own website explains, Pantone is a color Matching System (PMS for short) that uses a unique code scheme. This “key” will help you find easily a particular Pantone Color number or name without misunderstandings.

The history started in the 60s, when Pantone was a printing company in Carlstadt, New Jersey, with a specialty in color charts for the cosmetic, fashion, and medical industries. Lawrence Herbert joined the company in 1956 and noticed how difficult it was to identify exact colors from names. So, in 1962 he bought Pantone and launched the first PMS guide in 1963 with only 10 colors to try to minimize the errors and number of variables happening in the printing process. Creating an objective, numeric language means that any printer anywhere in the world can accurately produce this color.

It is more than a color language for designers—it’s grown into a global design force. And this is not because it was the first color-standards language. But it’s undoubtedly the best-known. Nowadays it is not always necessary to design a logo with Pantone colors or assigned PMS numbers. But it still has its glamour, specially when it comes to trends and fashion, as every December, they announce “The Color” of the following year.

But don’t get too excited, you have to pay to access this PMS guide and use its colors. So don’t worry! You don’t have to use it for your company or brand. It’s just good for you to be aware of and know what all this fuzz is about. In the end it’s just a trend, nobody is going to ask if you are using Pantone or CMYK, RGB.