Pantone Colors For Mardi Gras Design

Laissez le bons temps rouler! If you’re reading this, it must be nearly time to celebrate Mardi Gras – let the good times roll! Marking the day before many observers give up their vices for Lent, Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) is a celebration of food, fun and freedom.

While Mardi Gras is notably linked to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, the popularity of Fat Tuesday has made it a staple holiday around America (and the world). The holiday’s celebratory feel, good tidings and party vibes make it a magnet for people looking for positive energy and a signal that spring is on the horizon.

The colors most associated with Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. As it was explained by the leaders of the 1892 Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, the 3 colors had specific meaning: “Purple for Justice, Green for Faith, Gold for Power”. The Mardi Gras colors are apt for a celebration that has roots in faith and is open to everyone!

So how do we design with Mardi Gras in mind? After all, bold purple in particular isn’t the easiest color through which to develop a design palette! A great first place to turn is Pantone, the world’s authority on color matching and color palettes. By browsing through the current Fashion Color Trend Reports (and digging back through the past several years of trending colors), Pantone gives us a road map of how to design for Mardi Gras (and with Mardi Gras in mind)!

We’ve chosen three purples, three greens and three gold and yellow tones that we think work beautifully for Mardi Gras design. We’ve also put together two design inspiration color palettes for Mardi Gras Pantone design!