Our founding story
Starting in 2010 from a kitchen table (alongside a five-week old baby), Purplefish was born.
Run for the first 12 months from a small spare bedroom with two part-time freelancers, Purplefish has flourished into the award-winning, values-driven creative agency it is today and one of the UK’s top scoring B Corp businesses, now employee-owned since 2024.
Why we are called Purplefish
This is a question we often get asked, which is understandable, as our name is not run-of-the-mill, and neither are we!
The initial rationale for our name was to have something that evokes water. Water always finds a way: it gets into the tiniest cracks and will continue to move and travel, a perfect analogy for good communication!
Why purple?
Purple is a strong, creative colour with exceptional and historic provenance it has roots in mythology, piety, art, spirituality and royalty.
Purple is the most refracted colour when light passes through a prism. It is at the far end of the visible colour spectrum and is the hardest colour for the eye to discriminate.
This colour is also associated with social change and was used by the women’s suffrage movement. The Color Purple by Alice Walker uses the colour to demonstrate personal awakening.
The Pantone Colour of the Year for 2018 was ultraviolet: “Enigmatic purples have long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality.”
Why fish?
The fish icon came from the water theme, and, at the time of deciding on a brand name, our founding director, Joanna, did have a fish tank but not a purple fish in it! Fish are a strong representation of our environment and reflect and remind us of our commitment to sustainable practices, the natural world and maintaining a positive and thriving eco-system.
