Some time ago (well five years in fact) I had to the colour for the branding of my [last] start-up. I chose purple.
While everyone else was choosing easyjet-orange or shortly after Facebook blue, Purple seemed to have majesty and was little used, in 2007
At the time it seemed a bold choice. There were no other purple sites out there.
At the beginning of it’s bid for stardom, Facebook blue had just begun it’s assault. Over the years this colour has been very hard to avoid with everyone seeming to fall for the charms of this reliable and newly reborn colour – blue having been stuck for so many years saddled by it’s heritage with Microsoft.
What other technology flirts of fancy have we seen with colours?
Somehow, it just doesn't look right.
For some years Dell championed the dark grey. There there was Apple with its White iMacs and Powerbooks. Later this gave way to Silver and aluminium.
Prior to this orange had been the order of the day, with easyJet leading the way, Orange the telco in full fledged brand glory and I knew of at least three start-ups which had chosen this punchy colour.
I have seen over the last two years or so, a new love of the solid, dependable regency of Purple though. Rummble’s colour scheme –although largely dropped by the January 2011 business to business incarnation of the company – looks as recent as it could, not 5 years old.
The most recent screen shots of Windows 8 were swathed in this royal, almost religious colour.
Windows Phone 7 metro UI in purple glory
Speaking of which, my favourite cassock of my late Grandfather, a traditional – I dare say cliché looking – Church of England priest, for his Purple one. It looked fabulously opulent and offset his longish white hair.
Perhaps that’s why I’m still fond of this, until recently, entirely ignored stalwart of the main set of solid common colours. I think we’ll continue to see a lot more of it in the next couple of years.