The Cult of Pantone (the Color Conspiracy)

What does it mean for a color to be official? This week, Amanda is joined by lexicographer and writer Kory Stamper (@harmless_drudge) to dive into the oddly powerful world of Pantone, the company that turned color into a global authority system complete with sacred swatches, cryptic numbers, and an annual prophecy known as Color of the Year. They unpack how Pantone became the high priest of hue, shaping everything from fashion runways to corporate branding. Why does the word cognac feel more chic than brown? And how did a company convince the world that a very specific white or millennial pink can define an entire cultural moment? Is Pantone simply helping us speak the same visual language… or are we all just obedient followers of the color industrial complex? Either way, pass the swatch book.

You can listen to The Cult of Pantone (the Color Conspiracy) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Cult of Pantone (the Color Conspiracy) is an episode from Sounds Like A Cult by Studio71.

This episode is 61:37 long.

This episode was published on Mar 31, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Sounds Like A Cult when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.