The meaning behind thistle
About the color
The thistle color code is a very light shade of purple, inspired by the plant of the same name. The thistle plant is best known for its leaves, which contain sharp prickles, but the color comes from the floral part of the plant that ranges between different shades of purple and pink. The use of thistle as a color name goes as far back as 1892 in English. The modern thistle hex code is #D8BFD8.
A wide variety of plants are informally referred to as thistles, and most of them are known for having a spiny appearance with thorns on their leaves. Some of these plants are weeds, so the tough, protective appearance of the flower may have a positive or negative association. The thistle has historically been an emblem for Scotland since the reign of King Alexander III in the 1200s. Legend has it that during an invasion of Scotland, a Norseman stepped on a thistle, causing him to cry out in pain. This supposedly alerted the Scots to the enemy’s presence during the 1263 Battle of Largs, leading to the eventual retreat of Norsemen foes. The thistle flower is often featured on Scottish coinage, symbology, and architecture
Due to the legend of the thistle, the color meaning includes themes of nobility and royalty. The combination of regality and strength gives thistle a mostly positive meaning when used as a color. Because the actual shade of the flower can vary, one should be careful about picking a thistle hue, as some colors with this name may appear more pink while others may be somewhat desaturated, appearing more grayish.
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| HEX | #D8BFD8 |
| RGB | 216, 191, 216 |
| CMYK | 0, 0.12, 0, 0.15 |
Application in design
The Pantone Institute identifies thistle as 14-3907 TPX, which looks like a pale purple, less saturated than the hue represented by the HTML thistle color code. The associated thistle RGB makeup is more balanced with a slight emphasis on red. This is why the color thistle can sometimes appear grayish with a purple tint. Sometimes thistle is used to describe a very light magenta color.
Thistle is a web color, so most browsers can display this color when it is specified by name in HTML coding. The complementary shade is a very dark green (hexadecimal code of #274027), but thistle also works well with grays, pinks, greens, and lighter shades of brown. A desaturated thistle hue comes across as grayish-purple. It’s a great choice as a background or base color in both printed and onscreen design projects.
Thistle can be an alternative to deeper purples or lighter pinks. Depending on its application, it can convey a sense of romance, especially as an accent color. Incorporate thistle into a vintage or contemporary theme for projects such as party invitations or a website devoted to a special event such as a baby shower, a sweet sixteen birthday party, or an engagement party. In such applications, the color embodies several positive qualities, including nobility, bravery, and romance.
