The Day-Glo Color Corp. (also styled as DayGlo) is a privately held
American paint and pigments manufacturer based in
Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1946 by brothers Joseph and
Robert Switzer and is currently owned by
RPM International
RPM International Inc. is an American multinational company with subsidiaries that manufacture and market specialty coatings, sealants and building materials. Industrial brands include, Tremco, Carboline, Universal Sealants, Stonhard, RPM/Belgi ...
. It specializes in
fluorescent
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, ...
paint and pigments, such as those used in safety applications, artwork and signage. It invented
black-light fluorescent and daylight fluorescent paints and
nondestructive testing methods using fluorescent dyes.
History
Robert and Joseph Switzer of
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...
began investigating fluorescence in the 1930s using a
black light to identify naturally occurring fluorescent compounds.
[Ensminger, David. "Black Light Panthers: The Politics of Fluorescence," ''Art in Print'' Vol. 5 No. 2 (July–August 2015).] By mixing these compounds with
shellac
Shellac () is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and ...
, they invented the first
black light fluorescent paints.
Joseph used these paints in his amateur magic show and sold magic kits based on the black light fluorescent costumes they created.
The brothers established the Fluor-S-Art Co. in 1934 to develop and sell black light paints for advertising purposes.
They later partnered with Continental Lithograph (a subsidiary of
Warner Brothers Pictures
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
) of Cleveland, Ohio, to develop fluorescent paints for movie posters and advertising displays.
In 1936, they moved the company to Cleveland, a center of the paint industry.
In 1938, they invented Zyglo and Magnaglo, two flaw-detection processes using fluorescent dyes. The dyes penetrated defects in machined parts, allowing the defects to be detected by inspecting the parts under black light.
(Magnaglo was based on a preceding process of
magnetic particle inspection that detects flaws in
ferromagnetic material
Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials (such as iron) which results in a large observed magnetic permeability, and in many cases a large magnetic coercivity allowing the material to form a permanent magnet. Ferromagnetic materials ...
s. Because Magnaglo uses fluorescence instead of
magnetism, the process can be used on non-ferromagnetic materials.) After a dispute with Continental Lithograph over the rights to Zyglo and Magnaglo, the brothers established the independent Switzer Brothers, Inc. in 1946 to continue developing and marketing new uses for fluorescent materials.
The company changed its name to Day-Glo Color Corp. in 1969.
In the 1940s, the company began developing a new class of pigments that fluoresced in daylight by converting ultraviolet light to visible light, resulting in brighter colors than other types of pigments. These daylight fluorescing pigments are also known as DayGlo.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, DayGlo products were used extensively by the U.S. military where high visibility was required. U.S. ground troops in
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
used daylight fluorescent fabric panels to identify themselves and prevent
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while en ...
bombings, and DayGlo paints were used on aircraft to prevent midair collisions. Navy air carriers used DayGlo's black light fluorescent paints to allow planes to land at night, an advantage enemy pilots did not have.
Military equipment manufacturers, particularly those of aircraft parts, employed DayGlo's Zyglo and Magnaglo processes to identify defects in fabricated metal parts.
![Dayglo! (8566345196)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Dayglo%21_%288566345196%29.jpg)
After the war, advertisers used daylight fluorescent paints to make their products more visible to consumers.
Tide detergent became known for its fluorescent packaging beginning in 1959, but other products such as clothing, posters and
hula hoop
A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. It can also be wheeled along the ground like a wheel, with careful execution. They have been used by children and adults since at least 500 BC. The modern hula hoop ...
s also used fluorescent colors.
Daylight fluorescent pigments were also used in safety products such as
construction cones,
street signs and
safety vests due to their high visibility.
DayGlo pigments were popularized in the 1960s by their extensive use in
psychedelic art
Psychedelic art (also known as psychedelia) is art, graphics or visual displays related to or inspired by psychedelic experiences and hallucinations known to follow the ingestion of psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT. The word ...
, such as the album artwork for
Cream's 1967 album, ''
Disraeli Gears
''Disraeli Gears'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in November 1967 and reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. Search "Cream" in ''Name of Artist'', and No. 1 on the Swedish and Finnish charts. The alb ...
''.
In February 1969, the company changed its name from Switzer Brothers, Inc. to DayGlo Color Corp.
In September 1985, the Nalco Chemical Company of Oak Brook purchased Day-Glo Color for approximately $40 million.
They then sold it to
RPM International
RPM International Inc. is an American multinational company with subsidiaries that manufacture and market specialty coatings, sealants and building materials. Industrial brands include, Tremco, Carboline, Universal Sealants, Stonhard, RPM/Belgi ...
in 1991 for an undisclosed price.
In 2012, Day-Glo Color Corp. was recognized as a
National Historic Chemical Landmark
The National Historic Chemical Landmarks program was launched by the American Chemical Society in 1992 to recognize significant achievements in the history of chemistry and related professions. The program celebrates the The central science, cent ...
for its development of daylight fluorescent pigments.
The company has manufacturing plants in Twinsburg, Ohio; Cudahy, California;
and Houthalen, Belgium.
Community involvement
For its annual DayGlo Show, Day-Glo donates its paint to artists in Northeast Ohio who use it to create original two- and three-dimensional art that is displayed in a gallery lighted with UV light (black light).
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Manufacturing companies based in Cleveland
Paint and coatings companies of the United States
Fluorescence
American companies established in 1946