Strange Color Names: What They Mean and How to Turn Them Into Usable Logo Colors

The short answer

Strange color names such as puce, gamboge, glaucous, coquelicot or caput mortuum are descriptive labels, not specifications. Most of them have no single agreed value, so two references can show noticeably different shades under the same name. They are useful for finding and discussing a hue. Before a color goes into logo artwork, though, it has to be pinned to exact values: HEX or RGB for screens, CMYK for process print, and a spot color reference when the brand needs a consistent ink.

In vector logo work, a swatch is a saved, named color definition inside the design file. A name on a swatch is only a label you choose; the numbers behind it are what get rendered or printed. You can call a swatch "Coquelicot" in your brand guide, but the artwork should always carry the defined values with it.

Examples of unusual color names and where they come from

The odd names usually come from old pigments, other languages, natural materials or scientific vocabulary. Knowing the origin helps you judge whether a name suits a brand story. The descriptions below are approximate, because sources disagree on exact shades.

Name | General appearance | Origin of the name

Puce | Brownish purple | French word for flea

Gamboge | Deep mustard yellow | Pigment made from the resin of Garcinia trees

Glaucous | Pale gray-blue or gray-green | Botanical term for a dusty, bloom-covered surface

Coquelicot | Bright orange-red | French word for the corn poppy

Caput mortuum | Dark purple-brown | Latin for "dead head"; an iron oxide pigment

Mummy brown | Rich brown | Historical pigment once made partly from ground mummies

Falu red | Dark brick red | Paint associated with the Falun copper mine in Sweden

Fulvous | Tawny orange-brown | Latin-derived word for tawny

Eburnean | Ivory white | Latin-derived word for ivory

Smaragdine | Emerald green | Greek-derived word for emerald

Sarcoline | Pale flesh tone | Greek-derived word for flesh

Wenge | Very dark brown | Named after the tropical hardwood

Drab | Dull light brown | Older term for undyed cloth

Weird names that do have fixed values: CSS color keywords

One exception is the set of named colors built into CSS, the styling language of web pages. Keywords such as PapayaWhip, BlanchedAlmond, PeachPuff, Gainsboro, Thistle, Moccasin and NavajoWhite each map to one defined sRGB value in the specification, so every browser renders them the same way. If a quirky name appeals to you, a CSS keyword gives you a reproducible screen value to start from. It still has to be converted and checked for print, because a value defined for screens does not guarantee how the color will look in ink.

From a strange color name to a logo-ready swatch

• 1. Collect candidate names and look each one up in more than one reference. Note how much the shade varies so you know the name is only a starting point.
• 2. Choose the exact shade you want by eye on a calibrated screen, then record its HEX and RGB values.
• 3. Decide how the logo will be printed. Process printing builds colors from cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks (CMYK). Spot color printing uses a premixed ink matched to a reference system, which is the usual choice when a brand color must stay consistent across print runs.
• 4. Define CMYK values and, if needed, a spot color match. Some bright or saturated screen colors cannot be reproduced in CMYK, so check the converted color rather than assuming it matches.
• 5. Create the swatches in your vector file. A global swatch updates every object that uses it when you edit its values, which keeps the palette consistent throughout the logo.
• 6. Verify with a physical proof from the intended printer or substrate before approving the color for print.
• 7. Document the result in your brand guide: the friendly name, every value, and which value applies to which use.

A simple record keeps the evocative name and the technical definition together. Fill in the blanks with your own verified values:

Color name (internal):  Coquelicot
Role:                   Primary brand color
Screen:                 HEX #______   RGB ___ / ___ / ___
Process print:          CMYK ___ / ___ / ___ / ___
Spot print:             ____________ (reference system and number)
Verified on:            screen proof [ ]   printed proof [ ]

Using an unusual name in a brand palette

A memorable name can make a palette easier to talk about inside a team and can add character to a brand guide. Choose names that fit the brand's voice, and check the origin before adopting one publicly. Mummy brown or caput mortuum may be striking, but their history will not suit every brand. Avoid names that read as a claim the color cannot support, such as implying a specific pigment, material or trademarked ink you are not actually using.

Gaps in this guide

No verified source values were available for the named colors above, so this guide gives no HEX, RGB, CMYK or spot references for them. Treat the descriptions as general guidance and confirm exact values from a reference you trust, then with printed proofs. Receiving a logo file with a vector-format extension also does not prove that its colors are correctly defined, that it contains only vector content, or that you have permission to reuse it. Open the file and inspect its swatches and color mode directly.