Do Color Trends Matter?
We explore five satirical color trends we think are going to be 'big', plus contemplate if color trends matter.
By Envato
If you haven’t heard, ‘millennial pink’ is all the rage right now.
What is ‘millennial pink’, exactly? Here’s some of my favorite descriptions of this new color trend from around the web:
- A range of shades from beige with just a touch of blush to a peach-salmon hybrid – NY Mag
- Millennial Pink is not always pink. Sometimes it falls on a spectrum between beige and peach – PopCrush
- A soft, muted shade of pink with the blue notes taken out – Domain.com
- It’s obviously not a bright pink. It’s not fuchsia. It has a certain innocence, it’s unobtrusive, it’s very subtle – The Ringer
- Not a color – Apartment Therapy
We won’t write an article tracing the historical and cultural nuances of millennial pink, because that’s already been done (see above).
Nor will we tell you to change your web design or logo to match the trends (and please do not follow this advice from GenHQ, which says that ‘if you interact with millennials in person, wear millennial pink’ – no, really).
Instead, we’re going to do a few trends and predictions of our own. Here are five color trends we’re predicting will be the hottest of 2017 and beyond:
Baby Boomer Beige
It’s beige.
Gen Z-ebra Print
Writer Gal Shir says that ‘gradients are the new colors’, so why can’t that include patterns, too? Maybe zebra print will be the new thing to define the post-millennial generation.
Gen X Grape
Stylistically similar in some ways to the muted pink of the generation that followed it, this is a color that refuses to simply fade into the background between the Boomers and the millennials.
Centennial Cyan
A nod to Envato’s co-founder, who shares a name with this color trend.
Silent Generation Scarlet
Bold, bright, and a little retro, much like the ‘silent generation’ itself.
Just Kidding. But Really, Do Color Trends Matter?
This is mostly satire, but it has us wondering: do color ‘trends’ really matter in design’?
If you’re paying attention, you’ll know how many new colours Pantone has launched since 2010 (756). Their collection of 112 new colors for graphic design is nice to look at, and it’s a quick shortcut to what’s on-trend right now.
Don’t get us wrong – we like color trends in design. When Pantone announced greenery as their official color of 2017, we wrote about our favorite green patterns and designs – and we watched it pop up as a theme across our marketplaces, like in wedding invitation templates.
But will we be redesigning the Envato logo in millennial-pink hues? It’s unlikely.
If you’re looking for a go-to library of trending patterns and designs, check out the graphics collection on Envato Elements. Or head over to the Envato Blog to read up on the latest trends, tips, interviews and roundups!
