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Redeem nowInspiration in the color gold.
Learn the history and meaning of the color gold, both beautiful and brash.
Get inspired with gold design templates.
The color gold was named after the precious metal, and for thousands of years has meant luxury, success, and achievement.
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How to use the color gold.
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Tap into the psychology of the color gold.
The psychology of gold color tells us that gold still inspires thoughts of success. Gold color expresses approval, like so many gold stars placed on schoolchildren’s shirts and homework assignments. The color gold is also a symbol of prestige and influence. Used in excess, however, gold can quickly become gaudy and materialistic.
Look to nature for inspiration in the color gold.
Not all gold color inspiration comes in the shiny metallic hue. The color gold has been found often in nature and even made it into names like the goldfish, the golden retriever, the Yukon gold potato, and golden bamboo.
How to shimmer like gold.
Sacral art around the world has used the color gold in halos of gods and saints. For hundreds of years, that sparkling look of gold was achieved using real gold leaf. More recently, the shimmering look of the color gold has been imitated by adding aluminum powder to gold color pigment.
Combine gold with other colors.
The color gold is a yellow hue. Like other yellows and oranges, gold works best next to natural greens and blues. Or, pair gold color with brown to tone down its opulence. Combine gold with purple for a youthful and high-contrast look.
Information about gold color.
The gold HEX code picker is #FFD700. This is the solid-color yellow gold inspired by the precious metal.
The color gold can be achieved in a RGB space with 255 red, 215 green, and 0 blue. Gold color can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 1% cyan, 13% magenta, 100% yellow, and 0% black.
The history of gold.
The color gold shares meaning with the precious metal.
Gold color has been used in art to depict wealth, prestige, and royalty as long as the precious metal has represented the same things. In Ancient Egypt, gold was considered as eternal as the sun, and the sun god Ra was portrayed with golden skin. In Ancient Greece, gods were depicted with golden ornaments and gold color hair. In Asia, for centuries only emperors were allowed to wear gold color because of its association with the precious element.
Gold color was first recorded in English in 1300.
Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the color gold was first documented in English. It was not commonly used. It wasn’t until the 1400s that gold color became more common, and then just to refer to blond hair. Other terms for gold color like goldtone were more common to describe a shimmery, golden hue, like those used in many religious paintings.
Gold color came to denote greed or materialism, too.
For centuries, the color gold was a synonym of royalty, wealth, and power. The color gold also inspired feelings of optimism and enlightenment, especially as it was used in religious artwork. By the 1900s, new synthetic dyes meant that fashion and décor could go crazy with color. The color gold was used in a growing number of spaces. Eventually, gold color crossed the limit of good taste, and excessive use of gold came to represent materialism and vulgarity.
The color gold across different cultures.
The color gold is everywhere, but its meanings have varied.
Gold color has historically been greatly admired among colors. The exact meaning of gold, however, has differed around the world. In Central and South America today, the color gold is seen mostly in the Church. Gold color in pre-colonial times was a color of the gods. In the Caribbean, gold color still has ties to seafaring people, harkening to the days of pirates. In Europe, the color gold is tied to spiritual enlightenment.
Vexillology, the study of flags, finds the color gold all around the world.
Gold color was flown in the flag of the Holy Roman Empire for over 1,000 years (800 — 1806). This is why the color gold is used in the German and Belgian flags today. In the Byzantine Empire (1261 — 1453), a field of gold was adorned with a black, two-headed eagle. Today’s flags for Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Bosnia, China, Malaysia, Ghana, and many other countries also feature the color gold.
Gold color symbolizes divine power in many belief systems.
The color gold is synonymous with power, and that extends to religious interpretations, too. Gold color for Christians represents the majestic strength of God. In India, the Hindu religion equates gold to learning, meditation, and personal improvement. In Buddhism, statues of Buddha are often plated in gold. In Paganism, the color gold stands for inner strength and self-realization.