Name: Carlos Martinez Catalán
Job title: Colorist
Location: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Who is Carlos Martinez Catalán?
I have worked for AkzoNobel for 24 years, as a colorist in Production where I have been bringing color both to my life and to those of my colleagues for the past 18 years. I am very proud to work for this company because it fulfils my ideals and develops my perspectives. So, I work in colorimetry producing colors and my responsibility is to test the colors that are put on the market; every single color on the market has been through my hands. It is a huge responsibility.
Outside of work I love the cinema, actually I have a room in my house with over 3,000 DVDs that I have listed both alphabetically as well as by color, having assigned each separate genre a different color. Besides this, I love reading, travelling and the hobby of philately. I live with my wife and daughter, and I try to dedicate all my free time to them.
What does color mean to you at work?
To me color means experimentation, it means light and joy… being able to express ones feelings is a way of seeing color. For instance, there are days when you have to work with colors you don’t particularly like, and that can be a bit of a chore, but this is more than made up for by days when you work with your favorite colors. I really enjoy working as a colorist. It may seem monotonous, but it isn't. I can get to work with up to eight or ten colors a day and try different color and texture combinations.
The color I associate the most with my working environment is blue. Blue is my life. To me it represents power and richness. Kings have power and blue blood, even if in reality it is red. It also symbolizes vastness, like the sea; and freedom, like that of a bird flying in the sky. If I apply these things to AkzoNobel, I see that it has market power, room for development as well as providing me with the freedom to move within departments or within my job. I am not pressured and I able to work very calmly.
One memory I strongly associate with color is my trip to India, a country I will never forget. It is a country that brings a lot of color to the world but also a place that we need to bring color to.
…and outside of work?
On a personal level, my favorite color is blue as well. I don’t have many blue items at home, my car is blue, but my most memorable experience of blue was immediately after my daughter’s birth when she opened her blue eyes for the first time. And blue is also her favorite color. This is something I have obviously passed down to her. My wife’s favorite color is black.
What is your all-time favorite color and why?
Blue, always.