Michigan Football Related OT: official colors matching
I have a client who wants me to grind the rust off a pair of bollards and repaint them. The bollards sit at the entrance of a parking lot that is right on Main St abput 10 minutes wall from the Big House and the client has tenants who host tailgate parties at home games. I asked him if I could paint the bollards Maize and Blue with a winged helmet stencil at the top and he said "hellz yes".
I want to do this right. So my question is, what is the best color match for actual Maize and Blue. I am color blind so it's hard for me to match it by sight. So if you're wondering if this post is simply a humblebrag the answer is sort of but not entirely. Has anyone been able to match the colors on exterior paint? Sherwin Williams, or wherever, is fine I don't care. It's two bollards on which I have an unlimited budget to make the crowns look like Michigan football helmets.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:21 PM ^
Check with Adidas. /s
September 11th, 2022 at 1:24 PM ^
Don't even joke about that
September 11th, 2022 at 1:28 PM ^
Adidas: Oh hey. Colors don't really matter, but how about we slap a bunch of ridiculous stripes on everything? That sound cool to you?
September 11th, 2022 at 1:21 PM ^
https://brand.umich.edu/design-resources/colors/
September 11th, 2022 at 1:22 PM ^
I'm not sure about finding the right paints at a hardware store, but here is the link to the page detailing the specifications for the University's official colors. Hope that helps!
September 11th, 2022 at 1:24 PM ^
The official UM colors are here:
https://brand.umich.edu/design-resources/colors/
The blue is PMS 282 and the maize is PMS 7406. PMS refers to Pantone Matching System, which is used by printers to accurately mix custom colors.
However, paint stores like Sherwin Williams don't use the PMS system, and U-M has provided a color match for Sherwin-Williams:
https://brand.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sw-paint-colors-pdf.pdf
The colors relevant to you are the two at the top left; the rest of the colors are part of the UM style guide for additional approved colors.
I've never had Sherwin-Williams or any other paint store try to match the official maize & blue, so I can't vouch for how close their "Forsythia" and "Dress Blues" match the PMS 282 and PMS 7406.
Good luck.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:27 PM ^
You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you
September 11th, 2022 at 2:05 PM ^
Not sure I'm either but thanks anyways.
September 11th, 2022 at 4:04 PM ^
Just to piggyback on this, you can take SW 6907 and SW 9176 to any of the big box paint stores as well, where they will be able to look up the exact mix for those Sherwin Williams colors.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:26 PM ^
Sherwin Williams will match colors using the Pantone matching system: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/education/paint-and-color-technology/sw-art-pro-matchgame
The University's official Pantone colors can be found here: https://brand.umich.edu/design-resources/colors/
Print that page, have Sherwin Williams match the PMS color and you should be set. I'm not sure which other brands will match paint to Pantone colors. The Pantone system is used mostly for print and web. Good luck!
September 11th, 2022 at 1:48 PM ^
As others have noted, it is possible to get the official color codes for the Maize and Blue used by the Wolverines. https://brand.umich.edu/design-resources/colors/
If you were getting something printed or were doing a presentation that would probably be all you would need. But matching those codes to a manufactured color palette of commercial paints might need to take it step further.
1. Once again, reaching out to the Internet, there was a source https://www.myperfectcolor.com/paint/381387-myperfectcolor-match-of-university-of-michigan-wolverines-blue/house-and-wall-paint/exterior-paint where it will make a suggestion for a possible match - e.g. Benjamin Moore Aura waterborne exterior paint for the Blue.
2. But you need to be careful - the version listed in this calculator has different RGB codes (4 30 66) than the official one listed on the UM site (0 39 76). Not sure if this relates to the application - print ink versus exterior paint or if the calculator is out of date. Our alumni group had some flags made; we ended up going with a slight darker tone because the exterior use would bleach and lighten the flags. The original suggested 'matching' colors ended up being lighter so the darker option worked out better.
3. Finally, never hurts to ask - ask your paint supplier / store if they have matched the colors in the past, and around Ann Arbor, no doubt others have done this same sort of thing - they might already have a mixture formula. Finally you could call the Athletic Department. Their maintenance crews must paint a lot of stuff Maize and Blue and they must have a local paint supplier.
Hope this helps! Post some pictures when you are done!
September 11th, 2022 at 1:52 PM ^
Excellent suggestions in #3.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:59 PM ^
This does help! I was planning to ask when I go to the store if necessary but I've been to enough paint stores, hardware stores, etc to know that the more info you can get before you get there the best chances you have. You never know when a store is being run by one guy who graduated from high school yesterday and has to use a cheat sheet to run the till let alone help you with your questions. (That's okay, of course. We've all been there.)
I will definitely post pics when the job is finished!
September 11th, 2022 at 4:10 PM ^
The reason for the differing RGB values is those two sources are using different color working spaces. I work in design and print; colors are complex as hell.
September 11th, 2022 at 2:17 PM ^
Michigan hex-coded colors (useful for software encoding):
#00274C -> Pantone 539 ... ymmv
#FFCB05 -> Pantone 7406
September 11th, 2022 at 2:39 PM ^
Dude, please post pictures when you're done.
September 11th, 2022 at 3:07 PM ^
Are these cylindrical post bollards?
Probably best to paint them maize, not blue. There are reasons most bollards and other safety features are painted yellow: they are most distinguishable from a distance, in humans peripheral vision, etc compared to other colors.
A driver may fail to see the blue, especially if tired, distracted, in a hurry. You could make a stencil and still do a helmet in blue with the underlying maize color showing through. A generic alternative would be to stencil general sports icons in blue on ead post: a football, hockey sticks, etc.
September 11th, 2022 at 6:13 PM ^
This is actually a really good point. Yes they are cylindrical. They are side by side and in place to protect a utility box. I was thinking one would be maize with a blue wing design and the other blue with a maize wing design. But now that I think about it maybe it's best to do what you suggested to both of them. I think they will stand out much better like that.
September 11th, 2022 at 3:43 PM ^
Never mind the bollards, here's the Sex Pistols.
September 11th, 2022 at 4:04 PM ^
A painter that's color blind.
I don't want to knock on you because I'm sure you do a great job, but the jokes can write themselves here... LOL!!!
September 11th, 2022 at 6:15 PM ^
Lol! No worries at all, that actually made me laugh. Actually yes that has been problematic with other projects but I mostly do general maintenance and if I can't do a project because of the eyesight I just tell people and they're cool with it.
September 11th, 2022 at 6:13 PM ^
"...what is the best color match for actual Maize and Blue...."
UM....Maize and Blue?!!!!! Just sayin....
September 11th, 2022 at 6:27 PM ^
Swipe Mazi's helmet at the next game, then take it to Sherwin Williams and tell them to match it.
Duh. It's simple.
Do I have to do all the thinking for everyone around here?