Why isn't magenta a real color?

In the world of RGB, magenta is often cited as a colour that doesn't exist, but why?

Is it because it's just a made-up name? A marketing ploy by Pantone to sell more colour swatches? Or is it because it's actually the colour of despair, the shade of hopelessness that dawns on you when you realise you've run out of cat food?

Let's explore the possible reasons behind magenta's absence from the colour palette:

• Magenta: The Unreality of Colour - A dive into the history of magenta and its non-existent status.
• What is magenta, anyway? - A look at the science behind (or lack thereof) magenta.
• Why doesn't magenta matter? - A exploration of the colour's non-significance in art and design.

Or maybe, just maybe, magenta is just a real colour in a world where everything is real, and we're just living in some sort of... alternate reality? Learn more

This page is brought to you in partnership with the Colour Theory Institute, a non-profit dedicated to the study of colours that aren't really there.