The Meaning of the Color Purple for ‘Team Obama’?

There is always lots of chatter about any State of the Union address but this week the conversations included the color purple.  Why was purple the color of the day for ‘Team Obama”?

A question Georgea Kovanis attempts to answer in her article, Did purple apparel send a message at the State of the Union address? I was quoted in the article.

“Color sends a message,’” says Kate Smith, a color expert who works as a corporate color consultant. “There’s some message on our mind, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.”

So, what does purple mean when it comes to politics?

Because it is a combination of red and blue, it carries some meanings from both colors. “You’re communicating the trustworthiness from blue as well as some red, the power, the in-charge side of red,” says Smith, who owns Sensational Color, a company based in Washington, D.C. “They’re unifying.”

And unification was one of the points of Obama’s speech.

And a bit further into the article:

The fact that he wore a tie that leans more toward burgundy than a true red is significant, too, says Smith. “It still has the message of the red tie, but when you go to a deeper tone, it’s not in your face, it’s not quite as bold.”

In other words, he’s in charge but he’s willing to cooperate with others.

Read the entire article on the Detroit Free Press

I also wrote a follow up post on our Live In Full Color blog.