Prince Honored With His Own Pantone Purple Shade
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 8/15/2017, 10:34 a.m.
Prince
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) -- The Purple One now has a new shade to call his own.
The estate of Prince and the Pantone Color Institute on Monday unveiled a new purple color in honor of the late superstar singer who died last year at the age of 57.
Love Symbol #2 is inspired by Prince's custom-made Yamaha purple piano and will be the official color for 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."
The color purple has been associated with Prince throughout his career, from his clothing to his iconic film "Purple Rain."
Pantone has long been the authority on color trends and design. Since 2000, the corporation has released a "Color of the Year" that influences design and marketing. Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement that it was an honor to help develop Prince's hue.
"A musical icon known for his artistic brilliance, Love Symbol #2 is emblematic of Prince's distinctive style," she said. "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."
After his death from an opioid overdose in April 2016, purple tributes to him cropped up around the world.
Victoria Finlay, author of "The Brilliant History of Color in Art," told the Los Angeles Times after Prince's death that purple "is the color of royalty and of the church."
"Purple is a branding color, a very special color," Finlay said. "Not many people use it."
