The meaning behind silver
About the color
Representing one of the seven “metals of antiquity,” the silver color has been with us for ages. It was highly prized by Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and many other ancient civilizations.
Silver is still widely used in precious items such as money and jewelry. As a color, it carries a strong association with wealth and glamor.
But if gold means forever, silver means for now. In the 20th century, especially after the start of the “Atomic Age” in design, silver became a symbol for the future, space travel, and technological advancements. The silver hex code is #C0C0C0.
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| HEX | #c0c0c0 |
| RGB | 192, 192, 192 |
| CMYK | 0, 0, 0, 0.25 |
Application in design
Today, silver is taking over. We’re using silver Macbooks to watch live streams of massive blistering rockets piercing through the sky. It has become the ultimate “color of the future” or, at least, the color preoccupied with the future.
Design expert Peter York made a great note of this trend: “…the silver we’re talking about isn’t the color of silver silver. It’s the color of a sort of magic cyber-metal…”
It can be challenging to make silver look metallic when it comes to web design. It always ends up gray. However, using a metallic silver background can still be incredibly effective.
As a neutral shade, silver can complement a wide range of colors. You can successfully pair it with warm yellow, orange, or pink, as well as cool blue or green.
