Super Bowl teams have super-similar Pantones

The Super Bowl is nearly here, and this year is extra exciting in terms of colour, because it's the first time that two primarily red teams are going head to head. And to celebrate this potentially quite confusing colour clash, colour experts Pantone are even getting involved.

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are only one official Pantone hue apart, with the Kansas team represented by a slightly lighter tone – Pantone 186 C to be exact – and the San Francisco 49ers playing in Pantone 187 C. 

This is the first time such colour synergy has happened in Super Bowl history, and Pantone is so excited that it's decided to live tweet the game. 

Learn how you can live-stream the Super Bowl, wherever you are in the world, and brush up on colour theory with our dedicated post.

And of course, almost identical team colours also means almost identical branding colours across the board. Check out the teams' logos below:

We quite like the idea of having a Super Bowl commentary that solely consists of comments on colour (not colourful comments, you understand). It'll definitely be worth following Pantone on Twitter to see what it comes up with. What shade is the ball exactly? And will the account be analysing any bloody noses in terms of their Pantone hue? We hope not.

For more colour geekery, see our posts on the colour trends to watch in 2020, and our essential guide to colour correction.

And as for the Super Bowl, the phrase 'Come on you reds!' has never been more appropriate. May the best team win, or at least the best colour (we prefer the scarlet tones of 187 C, sorry Kansas City Chiefs).

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