Wait, you're telling me the colour purple is an optical illusion?

The colour purple and a question mark to represent the question of 'is purple real'?
(Image credit: Future)

Purple is often used sparingly in branding and graphic design, but its associations with royalty and luxury can make it a powerful force, as we see in our piece on the best uses of colour in branding.

Think Cadbury, Hallmark... er Taco Bell and Yahoo. Now science wants to tell us that it's merely an optical illusion? That's the suggestion behind the argument that purple isn't real because it doesn't exist on the spectrum of visible light.

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Joe Foley
Freelance journalist and editor

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.