The meaning behind mauve
About the color
Mauve is a pale purplish-pink color with a tint of blue. The hex code for mauve is #E0B0FF, and the mauve RGB value is 224, 176, 255. This hue contains mainly blue shades, and its complementary color is menthol with hexadecimal code #CFFFB0. The mauve CMYK color codes are C:12 M:31 Y:0 K:0. Mauve is not a web color, so you can only use this color in HTML/CSS with the mauve hex code, RGB, CMYK, or HSB values.
The color name is derived from the French word for mallow flower. That’s why another name for this color is mallow. This color name was used in English even earlier than mauve, but from the 18th century, the term “mauve” became more wide-spread.
Mauve is the color of the first mass-produced dye, which was accidentally invented by William Perkin. Before this invention, the cloth was dyed using plant materials. That’s why the shades were dull, unsaturated, and pale. And William Perkin trying to invent a cure for malaria inadvertently generated a mauve substance that dyed cloth permanently. As a result, this English chemist revolutionized the fashion industry, making mauve one of the most popular colors in the 1890s.
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| HEX | #E0B0FF |
| RGB | 224, 176, 255 |
| CMYK | 0.12, 0.31, 0, 0 |
Application in design
The symbolism behind mauve is connected to blossoming, flowering, and tenderness. This color represents elegance, sentimentality, and romance. A mauve color scheme evokes feelings of nostalgia, devotion, and hope. Besides, the color meaning is about innovation and inspiration to some extent. Integrate different shades of mauve in your graphic design and give it a delicate look.
Mix mauve with light neutral colors to show off your brand with an aesthetic color combination. You can also use shades similar to mauve, but less saturated to make your design palette consistent. Mauve goes well with lime green and makes the color combination vibrant and appealing. Some brands use mauve in their branding because it helps promote a sense of trust, care, and reliability.
Explore mauve and its color combinations to bring elegance to your branded designs.
