In an unexpected but surprisingly fitting collab, indie folk band Bon Iver has joined forces with Pantone to release a custom colour. Celebrating their highly praised 2025 album, SABLE, fABLE, the partnership is one of many quirky collaborations to mark the band’s latest release.
While most musicians will typically focus on typical promo, from merch to collectable album art, Bon Iver’s expansive collabs have pushed the boundaries of how music and advertising can combine. Meticulously curated and thoughtfully crafted, Bon Iver’s collab with Pantone might be my favourite of the collection.
(Image credit: Pantone)
With SABLE, fABLE’s strong fish theme, the Bon Iver x Pantone collab could be no other colour than salmon. Mimicking the hue of the album artwork, the colour continuity spread throughout the band’s promo, from zines to custom-dyed, salmon-coloured outfits.
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The creation of fABLE Salmon wasn’t just a matter of aesthetics, as Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon explains, “I’ve always thought about how, underneath our skin, no matter what the pigment is, it’s this kind of salmon-belly colour when it gets cut open.”
(Image credit: Pantone)
“It was fun dialling in the specific colour to Justin’s vision,” adds art director Ruben Nusz. “Many people don’t know that we see colour through not only cultural biases but also through the lens of language. Colour and language are inseparable.”
“As we adjusted the colour temperatures for the salmon (between cool and warm) and the hues that mix to make the colour, we were careful not to make the salmon too red, too yellow, or too orange. When a colour is more abstract, it’s less pinned down by language – it opens up. As we perfected the colour, it came to be defined by two words: Bon Iver.”
(Image credit: Pantone)
“What we see is a world obsessed with visual noise, and Justin wanted to cut it all out and reduce everything down to core elements,” explains Michael Cina, the graphic designer behind SABLE, fABLE’s typography. “He’s interested in language and communication on a level that a lot of people are not. He created a system to communicate. Colour and type led the way.”
(Image credit: Pantone)
The perfect accompaniment to Bon Iver’s vast collaborations, fABLE Salmon immortalises the legacy of the album, condensing it to a visual symbol packed with symbolism. For more creative inspiration, check out Pantone’s Palette Generator or take a look at the hottest colours of the year.