Colour Matching: The Pantones of Cities Around the World
From the deep blue waters surrounding Sydney’s Opera House to the teal vibrancy of the Venice canals. The terracotta rooftops of Dubrovnik’s Old Town to the dark slates in Zurich.
From the red buses of London to the yellow trams of Lisbon, every city around the world has its own distinct palette – a range of colours that reflects the spirit and uniqueness of each.
At Holidu, we know that this is what makes each place so special so we’ve found out which colours are most synonymous with different destinations. We’ve taken the world’s most iconic cities and found out which Pantone shade is most frequent in each.
Key findings:
- One-fifth of the cities analysed matched with a shade of blue.
- In Europe and North America, blue shades are most prevalent, reflecting the importance of natural water bodies and clear skies.
- Yellow is prominently featured in Asia, which symbolises the cultural richness and prominence of sandstone buildings.
United Kingdom
Unsurprisingly, London’s Pantone colour is a striking red colour, Pantone 186 C. This can be seen in the iconic open-top buses, phone booths, and uniforms of the Buckingham Palace guards, who are recognised around the world.
Also, a bold red colour, although darker, is Liverpool. Pantone 7621 C can be seen in the city’s historic brick facades, particularly in the Albert Dock area. Not to mention it being the colour of Liverpool FC!
Further up north, in Scotland, green is more prevalent. Edinburgh’s naturistic Pantone 5757 C can be seen in its iconic green spaces, Holyrood Park and Princes Street Garden, as well as in the plethora of trees around the city.
Belfast’s earthy grey tone, Pantone 402 C, can be seen in the city’s Titanic museum and reflections on the River Lagan, as well as often overcast skies.
United States
Of those included, America’s cities are much brighter hues in general. Las Vegas, otherwise known as The Neon City, is matched with Pantone 172 C – a colour associated with warmth and enthusiasm. The bright orange shade can be seen in its iconic ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign and the lights that illuminate the iconic Strip.
Miami is also a bright hue – a pastel blue with high brightness and low saturation that gives it a soothing and airy appearance. Pantone 317 C is seen frequently in the city’s Caribbean waters, its clear skies and the art deco buildings that line South Beach.
New York and Chicago are on the other side of the spectrum, being matched with darker shades. New York’s muted shade of grey is often associated with sophistication and strength, two words that could also be used to describe the city itself. Pantone 445 C is most commonly seen in New York’s skyline and metal bridges.
Chicago is a deep blue – Pantone 7546 C – which is seen in the Willis Tower and John Hancock Center, as well as in the waters of the Chicago River.
Australia
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Australia’s colours are very natural shades – blues and green. Australia’s best-known city, Sydney, has been matched with the vibrant, almost electric, blue of Pantone 2935 C. The bold shade is prominent around the city’s most iconic cityscape – Sydney Opera House – where it is seen in both the surrounding waters and the clear skies.
Also being matched with a blue hue is Perth. On the other side of Australia, Perth borders the Indian Ocean and thus is matched with a much lighter shade. Not to mention Perth being known for its clear skies, which often match this bright blue. The Swan River is also a central feature of Perth’s landscape and the vibrant blue of Pantone 299 C echoes the sparkling waters, as well as the skyscrapers surrounding the Elizabeth Quay.
Adelaide is known for its green parks and spaces and so was matched with Pantone 7727 C. The River Torrens is lined with green foliage, which reflects this natural green, along with the Adelaide Botanic Garden and the many parks that surround the city.
Spain
Neutral colours and browns are very prominent in the Spanish cities analysed. On the lighter end of the scale is Palma de Mallorca, with Pantone 155 C. The light, creamy orange hue is seen in the facades of many of the city’s buildings, which are made from stone and plaster. The warm tone can also be seen in the many beaches in and around the city.
Moving into darker hues, Seville’s shade of Pantone 7574 C is a warmer brown hue that is frequently seen in the city’s historic Andalusian buildings – Alcázar of Seville and Plaza de España. Barcelona is also on the darker side too, with the deep, rich red of Pantone 7608 C being evident in many of the roofs in its Eixample neighbourhood and the intricate designs of Gaudí’s architecture.
Breaking away from the neutral norm is Malaga, which has been matched with Pantone 639 C. The vibrant blue is often seen in the waters of Malagueta Beach and the Port of Malaga, as well as in the tones of the clear sky, which is best seen from the Alcazaba of Malaga viewpoint.
In a world of colours…
Blue
Blue is a colour that is matched to a lot of cities – one-fifth of those analysed, in fact. Cities that have prominent bodies of water are often characterised by this, whether it be canals, coastline or rivers. Unsurprisingly, cities that border the Atlantic Oceans – Reykjavik, Buenos Aires, and Porto – feature much more muted hues, whereas the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean cities of Cancun, Miami and Honolulu are more aqua tones.
Red
Red is also prominent among the cities analysed, with this colour often being as a result of cities with a deep heritage and culture. For example, Kyoto’s vivid red represents traditional Japanese culture and architecture, such as Torii gates and temples. Sofia’s dark red is reflective of the Bulgarian revival buildings including The Ivan Vazov National Theatre, which is one of the architectural symbols of the city.
Yellow
For those cities with a yellow shade, the colour is most prominent in their building facades. In Lima and Cartagena, the painted yellow facades echo the cities’ colonial heritage. In other cities, the yellow hue comes from more natural materials, such as the limestone of the Acropolis and Pentelic marble of the Parthenon in Athens, and the sandstone of Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in Beirut.
Methodology
We took a list of 100 cities around the world and found the most common Pantone associated with each. For this, we took the first 100 images for each city on Getty Images and used a mixture of ChatGPT and an eye-dropper tool to find the most prominent colour.