Pantone Color Story

The movie Psycho and its main protagonist Norman Bates hold a special place in our pop culture. A contemporary prequel to Psycho, Bates Motel is a portrayal of how Norman Bates' psyche unravels through his teenage years, and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma, truly is. Pantone Color Institute and A&E Network came together to create an official new PANTONE Color, a unique neon metallic shade in celebration of Norman referred to as Bates Motel Blue. The collaboration between Pantone and A&E networks was a joining of like-minded creatives who wanted to come together to create a distinctive shade in a unique medium in honor of this world renown pop culture icon

The world’s most universally loved color, blue, represents constancy and credibility. Associated with the continuity of yet another day, dependable and hopeful blue is consoling and brings a sense of peace and tranquility. It's therefore ironic that the Bates Motel sign, painted (as Norma tells viewers in the very first episode) in Norman's "favorite color", an exhilarating blue that instantly engages. Norma’s decision to employ this radiantly intense blue in the Bates Motel sign proves itself an excellent misdirect, as any fan of the series will recognize. Perhaps equally interesting is that a color family representing "truth," includes Norman's favorite color, when so much mystery and deceit lies under the surface of his fragile psyche.

Preserving the iconic hue that has surrounded the show, from marketing materials to social media, with blue neon tubing winding in and out of all creative, Norman and the Bates Motel's blue is now preserved forever in a distinct, vibrant blue that pulses with a dark energy and the Pantone Color Institute's incomparable color signature.

Christina Burton-Fox AIFD floral artist & instructor