〝Purple is a glorious yet complex color, preferred by very creative and eccentric types.〞
CMTEL Blog /
Trends in Purple:
Hue
/ Overview
Purple is a glorious yet complex color, preferred by very creative and eccentric types.
It can have many meanings–from contemplative to regal, depending largely on the background and cultural heritage of the viewer. But purple is something of an enigma. It is both sensual and spiritual–a blend of the excitement and sexuality of red and the tranquility of blue–often conflicting forces which have to be handled with care and a certain sense of daring. It is a much under-used color for packaging, at point of purchase as well as signage. The presence of red within the hue is a great attention-getter yet the presence of the blue keeps purple a bit more controlled than red. Depending on the undertone, reddish-purple can be a good substitute for red or bluish-purple for blue when red or blue seems too predictable.
In its more radiant intensities, it is the color most associated with the spirituality of New Age philosophies. It has a futuristic quality that would speak well for products that involve newness and cutting edge technologies as it is a complex color embracing a diversity of undertones linked with artistry and uniqueness.
Eiseman, Leatrice – Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color; Purple (pp 46-48).
Purple Color Schemes
Monochromatic
Use Purple in a variety of values.
Analogous
Use Purple’s neighboring color families.
Complementary
Use Purple’s opposing color family.
Adobe’s Color Wheel (or image in Extract Theme tab) can be used to generate color palette, which can be saved into Creative Cloud, after signing in. You can then use your saved color palettes in Adobe products (Photoshop, Illustrator, Fresco, etc.), via CC Libraries.
Further References >
St. Clair, Kassia – The Secret lives of color; Purple (pp 158-175).
Varichon, Anne – Colors: What they mean and how to make them; Violet (pp 130-155).
Pantone – Color Finder
Finishes
/ By Material Family
Ceramic
Metal carbonates/oxides are added to a glaze or clay and produce color when fired.
Fabric
Dyes are soluble colored compounds suspended in a medium. Dyeing colors textile fibers or the surface of a textile.
Glass
Glass can be colored with metal/oxide additives, fired enamels, and specialty coatings.
Metal
In addition to their natural hue, metals can be colored through coating processes.
Natural
The extensive range of natural materials can be colored with coatings, dyes, and pigments.
Polymer
Chemical compounds in the form of dyes or pigments are additives used to color plastics.
Methods
/ Overview
One might think that the rocks, plants, and animals with whom we share the earth could supply us with many coloring agents, but in fact few are suitable. The chlorophyl that gives vegetation its rich green yields, when extracted from the plant, is an unstable tinting agent that fades and disappears in a matter of hours. None of the vibrant colors of the peacock’s striking plumage can be transferred to any other material. Fortunately, nature abounds with a generous supply of other organic and inorganic substances, whose colors are transferrable to a variety of supports. Most natural earths get their color from the mineral iron, which is found abundantly in the earth’s crust in a wide variety of tones: red and yellow ochers, green earths, and hydrated iron oxides of greater or lesser purity.
Pigments are pure colors in powder form, which must be suspended in a medium in which they are insoluble (such as oil) in order to make paint. The size of individual powder particles varies from 0.01 to 1 micron. When greatly magnified in an optical or electronic microscope, individual particles of pigment may be seen suspended across the medium they color.
Cloth (or fabric) is colored with another family of materials: dyes. Dyeing is the coloring of textile fibers or the surface of a textile. Dyes are soluble colored compounds suspended in a medium.
For a long time, applied-research chemists sought to isolate and characterize the principles of dyeing. As they began to succeed, the vast possibilities offered by chemical synthesis overwhelmed the colorant market. Large-scale agricultural production of dye plants gave way to the manufacture of synthetic pigments and dyes.
Delamare & Guineau – Colors: The story of dyes and pigments (pp 14-19, 98).
/ Pigments
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