“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.”

While Designer Isaac Mizrahi, who designed the deep plum colored dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama was most likely motivated by fashion and trends rather than politics, he did delight at George Stephanopoulos’s observation about the color being politically correct:

“It was like the politics of the clothes,” he said. “She was saying, ‘Not left, not right.’ It was kind of like a bipartisan dress. George Stephanopoulos said how interesting it was that she was in a kind of purple-y color, which is a blend of red and blue. Love that.”

I also liked your observation, George.  No, not that the color purple was a bipartisan blend of red and blue.  That’s been said since President Obama was first elected.  What I liked is that you called it “a kind of purple-y color” rather than purple.

Purple (or violet as it is called in color theory) is a color that is visual balance of red and blue.  Purple embodies the balance of red’s stimulation and blue’s calm. This dichotomy can cause unrest or uneasiness unless the undertone is clearly defined, at which point the purple takes on the characteristics of its undertone.

However, in this case it goes beyond undertone since Michelle Obama’s dress, Joe Biden’s tie and Nancy Pelosi’s suit are not really purple at all.  They are all variations of red-violet.  Yep, that’s right.  What was called “purple-y” by George and plum by Isaac is actually a hue known as red-violet.

I mention this not only to point out how verbalizing color is anything but precise but to show you how a difference in hue can change what the color communicates.

Like purple,  red-violet carries some of the messages and meanings of both red and blue however this hue leans more towards red than blue.  In the case of red-violet the influence of red (power, action, confidence, a sense of protection from fears and anxiety) would be a bit stronger since that hue is more pronounced.

Now this is where it gets interesting when you try to read the message behind the color.

Was the message one of unification?  I’d like to think so.

Could their choice of a red-violet, whether conscious or unconscious, instead of a hue with a more equal balance of red and blue come out of a need to feel more in control or remind us (or themselves) of who is in charge?  I’ll leave that for you to decide.

More about this hue:

• Trend Tuesday: Color Speaks Out and It’s Voice is Red-Violet
• I’m Dreaming of a Red-Violet Garden
• See more about what the colors say in the Detroit Free Press Did purple apparel send a message at the State of the Union address?

Related:

• Photos from White House Flickr
• All About the Color Red
• All About the Color Blue
• All About the Color Purple
  

Here a sea of aqua blue houses is beautifully juxtaposed against the dry browns of the desert that surrounds it.

But beautiful blue is only one of the many colors that you will find in Jodhpur.

Journey along with me through the streets to see more of this colorful city…

Shanghai wallpaper from Jaima Brown Home

Red creates the perfect accent for any space when paired with timeless neutrals like brown or cream.

In the 18th century red garlands and scarves were part of cultural wedding ceremonies. Chinese brides wore a traditional Kwa; a heavily embroidered formal wedding gown in red and Greek brides wore red veils, which is still customary today.

In ancient history, wearing a red painted amulet, ruby or garnet supposedly made one invincible. Red signifies love, fertility, strength, good fortune, and happiness. We often see red front doors on the outside of homes across America, instilling the influence of Feng Shui.

Persia wallpaper from Jaima Brown Home

RED demands attention, revitalize your home with the dramatic allure of color and pattern through the magic of wallpaper using a design like our lively Shanghai and Persia designs.

Find inspiRED wallpaper and home accessories at Jaima Brown Home online

CMG’s International conference is going to be held in India next February so I wrote an article India — a Country of Symbolic Colors that is the feature story in Color Chips Summer 2007.

If you’d like to read the article it is available on Sensational Color

I’m already anticipating the journey and meeting with my colleagues from around the globe. Would you like to join us?

Before computers, ipods, and 400 channels on television, seeing who could blow the biggest bubble provided entertainment while hanging outside with the neighborhood gang. Do kids still compete to see who can inflate the largest pink bubble gum bubble?

Even if they don’t, I think “Double Bubble” is a wonderful name for an art exhibit that explores the color pink and its embodiment of the lighthearted side of summer. Don’t you agree?

Corey Drieth
Untitled #3, 2006
Gouache on poplar
9 x 9 inch

It’s the 4th of July and time to celebrate by decking out ourselves and our homes in red, white, and blue. But why were these three colors? Sure they are the color of our flag but why?

Wonder no longer. I’ve put together a short article to give you the answer.

Find our “Why the American Flag is Red, White and Blue”…

What comes to mind when you think of the color blue? Some might think of their favorite blue jeans, the latest in Bluetooth technology, or the popular children’s program Blue’s Clues. Others may recall a treasured blue and white soup tureen passed down through generations, an unforgettable blue summer sky, or Ol’ Blue Eyes and a Sinatra tune.

The newest exhibition at the Concord Museum looks at objects from the Museum’s collection through a blue lens, bringing together the fabrics, papers, and paints used in seascapes and landscapes, geometric and floral bandboxes, charming coverlets, blue and white ceramics, a Union officer’s great coat, a 1960s Emilio Pucci patterned silk dress, and much more.

The Boston Globe had a nice piece on the exhibit Filling in shades of meaning: Museum explores the color blue.

If you’re going to be in the Boston area, the show runs through April 29, 2007 and you can find out more about A Splash of Blue at the Concord Museum.

This film will show you the color red in a new light and encourage you to explore the dark side of all human emotions.

Experience the passion, love, and erotic sides of red in the movie that will surely be talked about for years to come!

From the PWN blog:

In a revealing interview with Anderson Cooper this past Thursday, the color Orange sought out to “cleanse the palette” on today’s issues involving color. The underlying purpose of this interview was to raise awareness of a new bill that is in the works; that proposes to add the color Orange to the Equal Opportunity roster.

“For too long, I have been discriminated against, unjustly represented and have not been given the same amount of opportunities that other colors have,” stated Orange. “I like trees, I voted for Gore, I want to put a stop to Global Warming, but Corporate America has made it clear that only the color Green can be used in these efforts.

I want to save the children of Africa from dying of hunger and AIDS, I used to listen to U2, but I am not Red, and that part of society does not accept me.”

Aside from the more recent examples, Orange described issues that have stemmed over the past few hundred years. “Blue for instance, there are over 20 variations of blue…Baby Blue, Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Midnight Blue, Powder Blue, Light Blue, and Dark Blue. I have zero variations…I am Orange. There is no Dark Orange and do you know what Light Orange is?… Yellow. I understand that I am not what you would consider a primary color, but Green has over 30 variations: Pine, Emerald, Grass, Bright, Dark, Forest…let me tell you a little secret about Green… it wouldn’t even be a color if it weren’t for Yellow and Blue.”

Continue reading the blog post…