Pyridines substituted with different aromatic groups at C-2, C-4 and C-6 were prepared following a Kröhnke synthetic route. Introducing ortho-anisole at C-2 resulted in deep blue emitters in solution, with quantum yields up to 74 %. On the other hand, when ortho-phenol was introduced, forming a strong hydrogen bond with the pyridine nitrogen, excited-state intramolecular proton transfer was witnessed by the dual emission of the fluorophores, which is sensitive to the dye environment. The phenyl ring at C-4 was used to introduce electron-donating or withdrawing groups, to fine-tune the photophysical properties of the dyes. Crystal structures of the fluorophores, together with theoretical studies using DFT/TD-DFT calculations, were used to rationalize the experimental photophysical properties of the two families of dyes. Unsymmetrical 2,4,6-triarylpyridines are therefore versatile scaffolds for the preparation of deepblue and dual emission fluorophores, and are promising building blocks for luminescent devices and sensors.