I am curious to know what everyone uses as a point of reference for painted finishes for manufacturing and client communication.
My issue is that our company (as well as many designers) commonly use the Pantone color books as a reference source to call out what colors we want in terms of finish, regardless of material. However, being a print color process, these references only get us so far and sometimes leave less to be desired when the color/metallic/sheen of the coating isn’t taken into consideration. We most commonly work on consumer, industrial, and medical devices, from handheld tool to room size objects.
Can anyone suggest a catalog of industry standard paint samples to reference when trying to convey color material finish? So far my research has turned up possible options, such as Sherwin-Williams or PPG, but I would love to know what you use and for what applications.
I often use these in conjunction with SPI standards. AS for painted samples, best bet would be PPG or similar. They have swatch books that are helpful. Alos cardinal powdercoating has a good swatch book.