Colors and Emotions: Gmund Colors

Colors from Gmund that inspire the world. The Gmund Colors collection not only offers a unique color system but also ensures availability across multiple continents. As stocked goods at our retailers in Europe, the USA, the UK, China, and Japan, these vibrant papers are always available for order. This provides designers and brands with confidence in using these papers, for example, for corporate identity (CI) colors.

A Mix & Match guarantee offers certainty: all papers have been developed to be easily combined with one another. This means that creativity knows no limits internationally with our Gmund Colors papers. Customers, designers, and printers have complete freedom of choice.

Color spectrum perception also plays a role in research. „People around the world associate colors with emotions—and largely the same colors with the same emotions.“ This insight comes from an international study conducted by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in 2020. With around 4,600 participants from 30 nations, the study demonstrated that colors evoke universal emotions. (Weltweit wecken Farben ähnliche Gefühle | Kommunikation und Presse (KOM))

Gmund Paper leveraged the psychological connection between color and emotion and began researching the perception of different shades over ten years ago. The result is a uniquely versatile color system.

Since 1829, Gmund has been an expert in producing dyed-through papers. The development of the Gmund Colors collection involved two years of research in Gmund’s creative laboratory. With closed eyes, a person can imagine approximately 20 different colors. A creative designer or artist, up to 50. A professional color expert, around 80. Gmund discovered that 48 colors are the optimal number that the human mind can easily comprehend and process.

As a result, the Gmund Colors system consists of exactly 48 unique shades from all color groups, designed to harmonize perfectly. The most important colors are available in different variations. With nine shades of blue, four cool and five warm shades of gray, seven shades of green, five shades of brown, and one perfect red, Gmund Colors offers a comprehensive color palette, allowing designers, businesses, and creatives unlimited combination possibilities.

Beyond aesthetics, the functional applications of these papers were also considered. Blue is the most popular corporate identity color, chosen by 70% of companies. Brown and green represent ecology and environmental consciousness. From neutral white to emotional nude tones—every shade has a carefully considered meaning and a specific field of application. In total, Gmund has developed 201 specifications in 48 colors and four surface textures.

Gmund Colors is available in two variations: Gmund Colors Matt and Gmund Colors Metallic.

• Gmund Colors Matt impresses with a soft, matte surface and deep color intensity. Its consistent coloring ensures an elegant appearance and an unparalleled tactile experience.
• Gmund Colors Metallic features 12 shades with a special shimmer, achieved through extra-high pigment content and fine embossing. These metallic papers combine 40 years of expertise in creating reflective, three-dimensional surfaces.

Gmund stands not only for innovation and design but also for sustainability. The Gmund Colors Matt and Metallic papers are Cradle to Cradle Certified® Silver and produced with resource efficiency in mind. Furthermore, Gmund relies on environmentally friendly raw materials to ensure responsible paper production.

All these advantages have made the Gmund Colors collection a customer favorite. The variety of possible applications has been particularly evident through submissions to our renowned Gmund Award in recent years. Three out of eight winners of the 2024 award used colors from the Gmund Colors system. Whether for greeting cards, book covers, or corporate communications, projects made from Gmund Colors papers were recognized in 2024 with awards in Japan, Italy, and Germany. Out of more than 200 submissions, 80 projects were crafted using the Gmund Colors collection—a remarkable testament to the versatility and global popularity of these papers.