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People have beenlamentingmany things about the shift fromHBO Max to simply Max.
The name sounds goofy literally, like Goofys son, Max Goof.
The UI is now more complicated andcondescending.
Making people download a whole new app and remember their password right beforetwo giantseries finalesis a dick move.
But one piece of branding has gone unmourned thus far: HBO Max purple.
Netflix has red; Hulu has green; Apple TV+ has brushed aluminum, just like all Apple products.
And HBO Max had that distinct and glorious purple.
It gave bisexual-lighting vibes.
The especially extra Roman emperors forbade common folk from wearing the color under penalty of death.
Until the invention of synthetic dye, it was a notoriously difficult (and expensive) color to make.
Wearing purple, you own everything.
Purple was the color of Prince.
And Joan onMad Men.Purple is Elizabeth Taylors freaky violet eyes.
Its not TV; its HBO.
Its not a color; its a quarter of a million snails per ounce.
HBO was the place that said yes when other networks said no.
Stripping HBO Max of its royal purple strips it of its prestige identity.
Blue is useless from a branding standpoint unless the goal is to make Max less distinct overall.
