5 Color Trends You Should Try This Year
Color is one of the most exciting—and challenging—elements in web design. You want colors that reflect your brand while maintaining a modern, trendy aesthetic.
Colors can set a project’s tone, instantly connect with users, or recede to let other elements shine. Current trends lean toward vibrant, bold, and memorable color schemes.
1. Gradients
Gradients have made a strong comeback after the Flat and Material Design eras.
- Full-screen gradients, particularly corner-to-corner transitions
- Complementary color combinations for maximum impact
- Translucent gradients over photographs to add visual interest
Pro Tip: Incorporating gradients doesn’t require a complete redesign, but finding the perfect color combination can be challenging.
2. Light or White Backgrounds
This timeless trend resurfaces periodically for its clean, readable quality.
- White or near-white backgrounds improve readability
- May include subtle textures or animated elements
- Unlike extreme minimalism, now paired with more prominent content and CTAs
3. Material Design Colors
Google’s color palette continues to strongly influence design.
- Highly saturated, vibrant colors in contrasting combinations
- Emphasis on reds, oranges, and magentas paired with blues, greens, and purples
- Conveys energy and modernity
- Ideal for creating gradients
4. Pantone’s Greenery
Pantone selected this yellowish-green (15-0343) as its 2016 Color of the Year.
- Light green evokes springtime freshness
- Versatile and less aggressive than other colors
- Works well as both primary and accent colors
5. Golden Tones
Gold conveys luxury and sophistication.
- Darker golds create better contrast than bright golds
- Symbolizes wealth, courage, and wisdom
- Ideal for premium brands
- The challenge is achieving a digital gold that doesn’t appear dull or brown
Conclusion: Current trends celebrate expressive colors—from dynamic gradients to timeless whites, energetic Material palettes, refreshing greens, and elegant golds.
Incorporate these trends to create modern, impactful web designs!