At Wildsam, we have a lot of fun "debates." (Austin dive-bar tour starts where, now?) Does it get heated? Only in the best way. And few issues stir the pot like picking the cover color for one of our signature City Guides.
We've watched these guides become a beautiful reading rainbow, and every new stripe needs to fit. Plus, each cover pays tribute to something about its city. Sometimes obvious [Manhattan, taxi yellow, done]; sometimes less so [Dala horse red for Twin Cities]. Inspirations zip around the group like well-aimed paper planes. A few get crumpled, til finally one soars.
Then we dig into the Pantone catalogue—and that's a whole other story. Here's a look at our urban hues.
The Atlanta cover color is an homage to Martin Luther King Jr.’s home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood east of downtown, and the golden-hour light on its brick walls.
Texas is big sky country, and in Austin the pale blue is reflected year-round in gin-clear, spring-fed pools, both in the city limits and in her limestone hills due west.
Our cover’s green evokes spring days, when Bostonians flock to the Common and the Riverway, civic pride in bloom.
The Dodgers play far away now, but they were born and raised in Brooklyn. Our cover color commemorates the uniform color of the storied baseball club.
The cover color for Charleston was inspired by the blooms of camellias and crape myrtle, beloved heirloom plants whose blushing shades adorn the city’s streets and garden in springtime.
The Chicago cover color echoes the striking sky-blue bands of the city flag–a waving civic symbol, representative of its waterways: Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and the canal.
Orange Crush: in the 1970s, the phrase struck fear across football, as a once-obscure team pioneered a toughness worthy of the Mile High City itself.
The Detroit cover color nods to the Motor City’s powerful manufacturing lineage with visions of sheet-metal frames moving down loud assembly lines.
It's not the starry glamour that stands out: It's Los Angeles' abundance of bright coastal sunshine, bathing the city in shimmering light 284 days a year.
The Manhattan cover color hails from the blur of rush hour taxis painted peacock yellow, or Dupont M6284, the medallion-official color since 1969.
In Nashville, the maple wood of a guitar is found on street corners and on the Opry stage, each picker dreaming of gold records.
The cover for New Orleans was inspired by the lush, verdant nature of the city, from banana trees to elephant ears to the hanging ferns swinging from French Quarter balconies.
The Philadelphia cover color comes from Legendary, a vibrant mural honoring hometown hip-hop heroes The Roots. The mural is located at 512 S Broad Street, near the school where the group began.
Our cover's deep green mirrors the old-growth Doug Firs of Mount Hood and the Forest Park maples that make up the city's western skyline: habitat for hikers (and Sasquatch).
When seasons turn, so do the prickly pears. A ripe purple hue pays homage to San Antonio's regal history, and looks good in a Riverwalk margarita, too.
Our guide’s cover pays tribute to International Orange, color of the Golden Gate Bridge, link between city and headlands, and symbol of San Francisco’s promise.
The Santa Fe cover color echoes the warm tone of the low-slung adobe buildings that define the city–a color that is not just earthly but of the high desert earth itself.
The Savannah cover color was inspired by the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist’s oxidized steeples towering over Lafayette Square and the smoky green tendrils of Spanish moss that hang on live oak branches across the city.
The Seattle cover takes its cues from days when clouds part, the sun shines and “the mountain’s out.” At such moments, the city’s maritime nature is revealed, from Sound to lakes to Ballard Locks.
The Twin Cities cover color is inspired by the bright, cherry red of painted Dala horses on display at the American Swedish Institute and the lingonberry sauce served alongside the meatballs at its cafe, Fika.
Our cover color nods to Washingtons' rites of spring: thousands of cherry trees bursting to vivid pink life and the human celebrations of their beauty.