When Pantone named Ultra Violet Color of the Year 2018, no one expected brands would go so crazy with purple as they have. The reason? You may be surprised!
Befitting a world plagued with recessions, the last couple of decades have seen numerous shifts to minimalist designs and neutral color palettes. Back in the early 2000s, however, dotcoms suddenly made huge leaps forward and the economy picked up again. And, surprise, surprise… Purple started to trend in packaging, fashion, home décor, you name it! (Just like it did back in the golden sixties, by the way.) Major internet companies including Craigslist and Yahoo! even purposely adopted purple logos to stand out among the traditional mass of blue and red brand colors.
Ancient Rome
If the rules of color psychology are to be believed – and they should be, obviously – consumers associate purple with luxury, wealth and even royalty. Contrary to other colors, however, the association we tend to have with purple comes with an historical explanation. In ancient Rome, purple dye had to be extracted from sea snails and was therefore only affordable to the economic elite.The color of money
