Seeing Purple, Seeing Ourselves

What feelings, ideas, and words come to your mind when you think of the color purple?

We asked, you answered. Here are the key themes when you told us what purple makes you think and feel.

A Story of Snails, Power & Perception

For thousands of years, purple remained exclusive—until, quite suddenly, it wasn’t.

💰 The Business of Meaning: Who Decides What Colors Mean?

When Purple Became Protest

Purple’s legacy continues in an unexpected domain

Purple isn’t real. It exists only in your mind

The story of purple is more than a pigment—it’s a prism. A subtle, shifting mirror reflecting the beliefs we inherit, the systems we participate in, and the futures we imagine.

Interactive timeline of Purple through history.

Purple has always been a trick of the mind—both as a color and as a symbol of power.