A:
We spoke to a very helpful man at YESCO (Young Electric Sign Company, which owns the sign but leases it to Clark County) and we have great news for you. Just like the sign itself, which is uncopyrighted (hence all the imitations and spinoffs), the shade of blue you're after is anything but proprietary. Its official name, as defined by the international Pantone standard, is Process Blue. It's one of the fundamental standard colors and, as a result, does not have a number in the PMS (Pantone Paint Matching System) because it's 100% cyan.
You'll find this shade on the various ColorCheckers sold by Pantone -- a checkerboard array of 24 scientifically prepared colored squares in a wide range of colors that represent natural objects of special interest, such as human skin, foliage and -- in the case of Process Blue -- blue sky (see photograph below, although we have a sneaking suspicion that this picture has been slightly enhanced...) The ColorChecker squares are not only the same color as their counterparts, but also reflect light the same way in all parts of the visible spectrum. This unique feature means they'll match the colors of natural objects under any illumination and with any color reproduction process.
Process Blue should therefore be available in whatever paint type you need (for metal, brickwork, wood, ceramic etc.) -- here's a link to the Process Blue page on the Pantone website, which should enable you to find all the information you need.
If you're "theming" your office, you might perhaps also want to invest in an authentic lightbulb from the Welcome sign, available for $69 each from Official Las Vegas Light.
(Image appears courtesy of the Las Vegas News Bureau)
Glorious Process Blue
Update 13 August 2009
An expert clarifies:
"First and Foremost, love the website and the QoD feature. [Ed: Thanks!]
"That being said, after reading today's QoD, I felt compelled to write and clarify that
Pantone Process Blue and 100% cyan are two entirely different colors. While they may look similar, rest assured they are very different. A good press operator may be able to use 100% cyan and get away with it. However, if you are trying to match paint, 100% cyan will look different from Process Blue. The confusion probably stems from Pantone calling it 'Process' which makes people think CMYK. A CMYK mix of Process Blue would contain a fair amount of magenta and some black (k) also. So 100% Cyan would be lighter and less 'purple'.
"William (I have spent to much time in pre-press and color theory) Moritz." [Ed: Aha! Thanks for clearing that up. Guess the nice people at YESCO slightly misinformed us, but now all is well again.]
08/13/2009 A reader writes:
"Not a question, but a comment on the Official Las Vegas Light mentioned in today's QoD. My husband bought me the #1 light for the premium price of $99 for Christmas. It was the #1 light (very top one) that was lit during our anniversary date last year. Inside the beautifully done wooden gift box shown on their website, the light was stickered and nestled cozily in black satin, with an imitation black chip to keep it company. On the inside of the lid, there was a Certificate of Authenticity stating our names, occasion, burn date, and time of removal from the sign. When people see it, they ooh and ahh over it, and say it's really neat and unique! Russ, the guy my husband talked to, couldn't have been more helpful, and invited us to stop by the next time we were in town."
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