Experts talk about what they really think about Pantone’s “ugliest color”

GFK was hired by the Australian government a few months ago to determine which was the best color (or the ugliest) to include in cigarette packaging so that it would deter people from smoking, accompanying the usual warning slogans and pictures.

It was then decided that the award to the ugliest color ever was to go to Pantone 448C, a dark olive-ish, brown-ish color that for some was a synonym for death. But experts don’t feel the same about it, and the guys at Fast Co Design have made a video stating their own opinions about it.

Graphic designers such as Milton Glaser and Debbie Millman, and Pantone’s vice president Laurie Pressman say that there is no ugly color by itself. In fact, all colors are beautiful, but they depend heavily on context to be interpreted as ugly.

You can see the whole video featuring these experts on their website.