KLEIN BLUE

Klein blue was first introduced to the graphic design world in 1957 when artist Yves Klein debuted painting in Milan, each featuring the same deep, intense blue colour. 

‘IKB’ as Klein called it, International Klein Blue. Suspending pigment in synthetic resin called Rhodopas M60A and Ultramarine pigment created the colour, this ensured the dye retained its vibrant colour on the canvas.  For Klein IKB represented a sense of boundlessness and pure space and he describes it as ‘a blue in itself, disengaged from all functional justification’.

To this day IKB is still making regular appearances and over the past 7 years it has become increasingly popular in graphic design. No one is really sure how IKB become so popular but it seems its first main use was in websites. 

A hugely famous series create by Yves Klein using IKB was when he used nude female models to create his ‘anthropometry’ series. The paintings were performances where Klein employed the models to be ‘living paintbrushes’; it was a study of the human body.

In many cases the colour is used only with one colour or with a monochrome pallet. Klein believed tat although the blue was the same and used as the one colour each different painting he created with it presented a completely different atmosphere.