# What black means in branding

> What black means in branding, a short history of the colour and brands known for it, with sources. Open it in a free palette tool.

Web page: https://davidewins.com/colours/black

Swatch: #141414

Surveys in Europe and North America link black with mourning, the end, secrets, magic, force, violence, fear, evil and elegance. Since the Middle Ages it has been the colour of solemnity and authority, which is why judges still wear it.

Survey words: elegance, authority, secrets, force.

[Build a palette from black](https://davidewins.com/colours?base=141414)

## History

- Black was one of the first colours used in Neolithic cave paintings.
- In the Roman Empire it became the colour of mourning.
- In the 14th century it was worn by royalty, clergy, judges and officials across much of Europe, and in the 20th century it became a high fashion colour.

## Brands known for black

- **Chanel**: Coco Chanel published a drawing of a simple black dress in Vogue in 1926. ([Wikipedia: Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black))
- **Givenchy**: Hubert de Givenchy designed the black dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). ([Wikipedia: Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black))

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black)

The swatch is my own pick of black, not an official value.