The combination of purple, green, and gold has special significance in many cultures around the world. These three colors evoke spirituality, nature, wealth, royalty, and more. Looking at the symbolism behind each shade provides insight into why they are meaningful when displayed together.
The Color Purple
Purple is often considered the color of royalty, nobility, luxury, and ambition. In many cultures, purple dye was historically very hard and expensive to produce, so only wealthy and powerful people could afford to wear the color purple. The rarity of the dye associated it with prestige.
Some examples of purple’s royal symbolism include:
- During the Roman Empire, emperors wore purple robes togas to display their wealth and status.
- In pre-Victorian England, purple dresses were reserved for members of the royal family.
- Medieval clergy wore purple robes to signify their connection to Christ.
Beyond status, the color purple is also associated with spirituality, mysticism, and magic. One reason is that purple, located between red and blue on the color spectrum, is considered the blending of passionate red and calming blue. Therefore, purple takes on symbolic meaning as a bridge between physical and spiritual worlds.
In religion, purple represents penance and mourning in Catholicism. It is the liturgical color for Advent and Lent. In Judaism, purple is used for cloth to wrap sacred scrolls. Purple candles are lit in Judaism before major holidays.
The rich hues of purple also make it associated with creativity and imagination. Think of purple prose being used to describe very flowery and elaborate writing.
The Color Green
The color green has many of the following symbolic associations:
- Nature and the environment – Being the color of grass and leaves, green represents growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and the environment.
- Good health – We say someone feeling very ill looks green. The opposite, looking green, is linked to being healthy, vigorous, and full of life.
- Finance and prosperity – The green of cash conveys ideas of fertility, wealth, banking, ambition, greed, jealousy, and materialism.
- Novice or student status – New recruits are called greenhorns or greenies. New investors are green investors. Inexperienced students are green freshmen.
- Permission or safety – Green means go ahead or permission. Green rooms are waiting rooms. We use green to symbolize that something is environmentally friendly or has eco-conscious credentials.
- Luck – The phrases green thumb and green fingers mean someone is adept at gardening and growing plants. Green is considered lucky in many cultures.
Green is a color strongly associated with Ireland, which is known as the Emerald Isle. Several countries feature green prominently on their flags and emblems showing agriculture, fertility, and the environment. These include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and more.
In the United States, green is associated with money and banking. The greenback refers to the dollar. Wall Street uses a bull and bear to indicate market rise and falls. The color green signals an upward swing.
The Color Gold
Here are some notable symbolic meanings behind the color gold:
- Wealth, prosperity and success – The most popular association is that gold represents affluence, material wealth, and extravagance.
- Wisdom and knowledge – Golden bowls, cups, and plates were sought after in ancient times. Gold represents perfection, spirituality, and utmost wisdom.
- Glory and triumph – Gold signifies accomplishments and achievements. It is the color of winning first place and being the best.
- Morality and virtue – In ancient times, kings lavished themselves in gold to convey status and power. But gold can also represent morally just kingship.
- Passing away – The golden hour of dusk symbolizes transition. In China, gold occurs in funerals representing immortality.
For these reasons, gold is the most fitting color to represent global achievement at the Olympic games. Athletes who finish first are awarded the gold medal. Many cultures also use gold in weddings and special occasions to convey celebration, happiness, and prosperity.
The allure of gold has captured people for millennia. It is iconic, timeless, and universal in its appeal and symbolism. Gold taps into basic human desires – to have success, wealth, and status.
Meaning Behind Purple, Green, and Gold Together
When the colors purple, green, and gold are combined, they take on a special significance. Each shade provides different meaning to create a cohesive symbolic message.
Purple contributes spirituality, mysticism, and royalty. Green conveys growth, nature, health, and environment. Gold signifies wealth, success, achievement, and prosperity.
Together, they represent mankind’s highest ideals. Purple means we should strive for wisdom, spiritual growth, imagination, and vision. Green reminds us to keep balance with nature. Gold inspires us to achieve greatness in life.
These three colors together can inspire deep reflection about society’s priorities and values. Are we focused enough on compassion, environment, and bettering human life over materialism?
Here are some famous examples where purple, green, and gold hold symbolic meaning together:
- Mardi Gras – During New Orleans carnival season, these colors represent justice (purple), faith (green), and power (gold).
- Pan-African Flag – Designed in 1920, red, green, and gold signify the blood, nature, and prosperity of Africa.
- Rastafari Movement – Green, gold, and purple are used for their connection to nature, abundance, and spirituality.
- Ethiopian Flag – Green stands for hope, yellow for church, and red for strength. Together they symbolize a bright future.
These contexts all involve using the triad of purple, green, and gold to convey connected ideas of spirit, nature, and prosperity. The balance and harmony between the shades is what establishes the symbolic meaning.
| Color | Symbolism |
|---|---|
| Purple | Royalty, spirituality, imagination |
| Green | Nature, health, growth |
| Gold | Success, achievement, wealth |
Using Purple, Green, and Gold for Branding
When designing logos and visual branding, the combination of purple, green, and gold grabs attention. It also transmits positive qualities that brands want associated with their image.
Purple evokes exotic, creative, and luxurious sensibilities. Green ties into natural, organic, and wholesome impressions. Gold conveys success, confidence, and quality.
Together, they perfectly capture a brand identity of reliable, ethical, and aspirational. Purple, green, and gold paint the picture of an industry leader focused on imagination, innovation, and excellence.
The vivid contrast between the colors also helps brand recognition. Memorable logos use colors that stand out boldly from each other.
For these reasons, many prominent companies integrate purple, green, and gold in their visual branding. Here are some examples:
- Starbucks Coffee – green and gold
- Dolce and Gabbana – green, gold, and purple
- Twitch – purple, green, and black
- Yahoo! – purple and gold
- Animal Planet – green and gold
- Rockstar Energy drinks – green, gold, purple
These brands rely on the symbolic colors to capture desirable attributes about their products or services. They want to be perceived as prestigious, reliable, successful, and responsible.
Conclusion
The combination of purple, green, and gold has deep roots across different eras and cultures. Each color contributes important symbolic meaning that creates a compelling message when displayed together. Purple represents imagination, spirituality, and ambition. Green signifies health, natural abundance, and growth. Gold conveys success, prosperity, achievement, and confidence.
Integrating these colors together inspires us to pursue lofty goals and ideals, while keeping balance with nature and community. Brands utilize purple, green, and gold to convey desirable traits like creativity, excellence, and responsibility. The colors work together to create an image that is luxurious yet approachable – rich with tradition yet visionary and modern. Whatever the application, purple, green, and gold make a vibrant and meaningful color palette.
