On August 15, the estate of Prince and the Pantone Color Institute unveiled a new purple color in honor of the late superstar singer who tragically passed away. The color is called “Love Symbol #2,” it’s inspired by Prince’s classic custom made purple piano, and it will be the official color of his brand.
“The color purple was synonymous with who Prince was and will always be,” Troy Carter, entertainment advisor to Prince’s estate, said in a statement. “This is an incredible way for his legacy to live on forever.”
Pantone has been the graphic design industry standard for color for years now, and their vice president, Laurie Pressman, was honored to to work on Prince’s classic color.
“A musical icon known for his artistic brilliance, Love Symbol #2 is emblematic of Prince’s distinctive style,” Pressman said in a statement. “Long associated with the purple family, Love Symbol #2 enables Prince’s unique purple shade to be consistently replicated and maintain the same iconic status as the man himself.”
For those who don’t know, purple became the official color of Prince in 1984 when he released the legendary song Purple Rain, which won the Oscar for “Best Original Song Score” as it was featured in his movie with the same title. Ever since then, he was known for making public appearances in the color and it became intertwined with his legend.
Love Symbol #2 is a great new option for design and marketing campaigns, as it is fairly uncommon and only used selectively. As Vinlay Finlay, the author of The Brilliant History of Color in Art, told the Los Angeles Times, “Purple is a branding color, a very special color. Not many people use it.”
For any business looking for a distinct edge in their materials, Love Symbol #2 might be a great fit.
Read Pantone®’s press release here.