Pantone Announces Official Prince Color

updated May 3, 2019
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Musical icon Prince Rogers Nelson was practically synonymous with purple. From his 1984 cult film Purple Rain and various song lyrics, to his wardrobe choices and decor at Paisley Park, the plum hue played a big part in his identity. Now, Prince’s estate and the color authorities at Pantone have named a shade after the Purple One.

(Image credit: Pantone)

Aptly named “Love Symbol #2” (also known as the symbol that Prince used as his stage name during the 90s), the color is inspired by the artist’s custom made Yamaha piano, which was set to go on tour with him and was delivered to Paisley Park just a few weeks before his death in April 2016 (and of which Prince tweeted a photo just days before he passed). The piano was custom tuned to create sounds just for Prince, and the color was also mixed from a variety of purples to match a sofa at in his home, Yamaha executive Chris Gero told NBC News. “The company searched everywhere for the exact shade, ultimately painting it with paint used for cars,” they wrote.

“The color purple was synonymous with who Prince was and will always be. This is an incredible way for his legacy to live on forever,” said Troy Carter, Entertainment Advisor to Prince’s Estate in a press release.

(Image credit: Ben James / Yamaha Entertainment Group)

“We are honored to have worked on the development of Love Symbol #2, a distinctive new purple shade created in memory of Prince, ‘the purple one,'” said Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “A musical icon known for his artistic brilliance, Love Symbol #2 is emblematic of Prince’s distinctive style. 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.”

The estate is “conversation with various partners about collaboration on products that incorporate” the color.