What You Need to Know
The documentary “The King of Color” profiles Lawrence Herbert, the 90-year-old creator of the Pantone Matching System. In the 1960s he gave every color a number tied to a formula, and that system let ink makers mix hundreds of consistent colors from a few base inks. You see how that consistency moved beyond printing into advertising, fashion and digital design, and how the company he sold in 2007 still provokes debate — its pick of Cloud Dancer, Pantone 11-4201, as the 2026 color stirred conversation.
Director Patrick Creadon builds a case that Herbert shaped the visual world, and one interviewee even compares his impact to Steve Jobs or Ray Kroc. For anyone interested in how everyday color gets standardized, the documentary explains the idea and its wide influence even when the storytelling feels uneven.
“The King of Color” is now playing in select Los Angeles and New York City theaters this December.
