Pantone 448 C Explained

Pantone 448 C
Hex:	4A412A
Isccname:	Dark grayish olive
Source:	Pantone^[1]
Spelling:	colour

Pantone 448 C is a colour in the Pantone colour system. Described as a "drab dark brown" and informally dubbed the "ugliest colour in the world", it was selected in 2012 as the colour for plain tobacco and cigarette packaging in Australia, after market researchers determined that it was the least attractive colour.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} The Australian Department of Health initially referred to the colour as "olive green", but the name was changed after concerns were expressed by the Australian Olive Association.^[6]

Since 2016, the same colour has also been used for plain cigarette packaging in many countries, including Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and Uruguay.^{[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}

The colour has also been widely but erroneously reported as being known as "opaque couché";^{[13] [14]} in fact this is simply French for "layered opaque", in reference to being used on coated paper. The confusion may have arisen because "Pantone opaque couché" is the French name of a swatch library (palette) used in Adobe Illustrator containing this colour and intended for printing in solid ink colours on coated paper; in English this library is known as "Pantone solid coated".

Notes and References

1. Web site: PANTONE 448 C - find a PANTONE Color. www.pantone.com. 19 June 2016.
2. Web site: Tobacco Plain Packaging Regulations 2011. 8 August 2013. 2.2.1 (2) & passim. Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation. en-AU. 29 March 2018.
3. Web site: 7 June 2016 . This is the world's ugliest colour, according to experts . 19 June 2016 . Evening Standard . en-GB. N.B. As of 29 March 2018, the image there erroneously shows colour
   1. 5D4914
   , rather than
   1. 4A412A
   .
4. Web site: Researchers discover the ugliest color in the world: Pantone 448 C. 16 June 2016. Digital Trends. en-US. 19 June 2016. N.B. As of 2018-03-29, the image there erroneously shows colour
   1. 4D442E
   , rather than
   1. 4A412A
   .
5. Web site: Does this colour turn you off?. The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 June 2016. 16 August 2012. N.B. As of 2018-03-29, the image there erroneously shows colour
   1. 594A13
   , rather than
   1. 4A412A
   .
6. http://www.theage.com.au/national/does-this-colour-turn-you-off-20120816-24bf4.html "Does this colour turn you off?"
7. Web site: Smoke-free Environments Regulations 2017 (LI 2017/123) – New Zealand Legislation. www.legislation.govt.nz. 24 January 2020.
8. Web site: The world's ugliest colour has been revealed. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/worlds-ugliest-colour-revealed-pantone-448c-a7076446.html . 24 May 2022 . subscription . live. 11 June 2016. The Independent. en-GB. 19 June 2016. N.B. As of 2018-03-29, the image there shows the correct colour.
9. Web site: This new law could save your life. 20 May 2016. The Independent. en-GB. 19 June 2016. N.B. As of 2018-03-29, this article has no image of the pure colour.
10. Web site: Historical Revolution: The Economics Committee approved for the second and third reading the proposal to ban advertising of smoking products. he. Knesset. 18 December 2018.
11. Web site: New Regulation on Supervision and Labelling of Tobacco Products: Plain Packaging in Turkey. en. Lexology. 24 January 2020.
12. Web site: Standardised Packaging Guidance Booklet 标准化包装册子 . Health Promotion Board, Singapore.
13. Web site: Stylewatch: Is Pantone 448C really the ugliest colour in the world?. Ferrier. Morwenna. 8 June 2016. the Guardian. en. 31 March 2018.
14. News: This is the world's ugliest colour, according to experts. Evening Standard. 31 March 2018. en-GB. Sophia . Pathak. 7 June 2016.