IT BEGAN, LIKE MANY THINGS AT SUPREMEBEING, WITH A TEE SHIRT IDEA…
THE SCIENCE OF CMYK (CONCEPT)
OK, time for a little edutainment. Since it’s invention in the 1890s process printing has used Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black) to reproduce all the colour you see on paper. From Da Vinci and Matisse to DC and Marvel, they are the patron saints of print. Televisions and computers use red, green and blue (RGB), but mostly all print uses CMYK process printing. Here’s how it works.
If you pick up the nearest publication and have a good search, you will find four little squares hiding somewhere; blue, pink, yellow and black. To make a full colour photograph, all you need is these four colours printed in tiny dots. Even the inks in your printer at home use these colours to make all the others, so they are quite skilled really.
Whether you are neck-deep in the design world or not, you see these colours every day, along with their evil nemesis RGB (fakers, you never see them in real life). Apart from the fact that we really like the colours, CMYK is a bit of an in-joke for the graphic designers and artists out there, but one we can all share in.
LIFE IN PROCESS (HISTORY CONT.)
Following the success of the early concept tees, we felt CMYK struck a chord with a particular niche we were part of, and thought more about the audience. Or us, depending how you look at it. One thing that is consistent across the various scenes of art, design, graphics, graf, street wear or whatever you want to call it seems to be a love of designer toys.
Realising this had almost never been translated into clothing yet, the idea came about to take the four letters of CMYK and make characters for a tee design from them. Thus the ‘Bods’ were born with each colour taking on its own identity, and in many cases attitude problems, from that day forth. This toy design was one of our most popular tees, while CMYK grew to be a full range from polos to jackets, all using only the four magic colours. Today this includes a limited edition collaboration with New York’s Nooka on their Zot watch, and full-on real-life toys of our own.
THE BOD TOYS
Non inflammatory politically neutral inaction figures. Super ‘sit down action’ posterior. Ineffectual ‘protest’ waving arms. Side-to-side adjustable head as standard. Let’s meet the Bods.
Cyan: spends his time BMXing in the arctic tundra and has a bad attitude.
Magenta: the youngest of the four, runs a freelance art critic consultancy firm.
Yellow: originally a native of Columbia he now lives in Mexico and resents being asked if he is a dog or a kangaroo.
Black is a gimp, a geek and an incurable optimist. He is fiercely proud to be all three.
Non-edible consumable / 100% non recyclable oil based product / effect subject to status, no love lost in transit / all colours created first amongst equals.
Although the CMYK colours are as bold as can be, the concept is geared towards considered design, clean graphics and art.
At one extreme, the CMYK colour scheme reflects the look of the high-contrast generation Y, from rave kids searching fluorescent jackets in second hand shops to urban nerds and B-Boys with primary coloured wardrobes and a sneaker fixation. At the other end of the spectrum there are more toned down products which just use splashes of colour, giving highly wearable garments the subtle pop required by todays more discerning gentlefolk.
All our love, Cyan and Yellow (Black and Magenta got big-headed and won’t return our calls)
PS Further reasons to be colourful:
- These colours are the building blocks of print and design. They are the raw elements of printed art
- Bright colours are good, and make you more happy than dark ones
- Good things come in 4’s (wheels, walls, corners, chair legs, limbs, eyes)
- Cyan is like the sky, Magenta is like the marker pen ink that you can’t ever totally wash off, Yellow is like the sun, Black is black
- We love CMYK
