As creatives, we don’t just stick to a color palette with a certain fixed saturation and hue level. We appreciate colors that are less saturated and muted at times too.
Whether it’s in clothes, decorations, or structures, we feel that highly saturated colors can sometimes take too much away from the natural beauty of its raw colors.
This is why pastel colors are a growing trend especially in the world of fashion and even logo design.
They were originally considered to be too chic or pre-teen, but through time, designers and consumers alike have learnt to appreciate the splendor of soft pastel hues.
Take a stroll around the city and you’re sure to see examples of these tones. It’s absolutely a beautiful shade that is most suited for the Spring or Summer season.
The basic colors still exist, but they are presented in washed out or dusted up shades, which makes them more appealing to the naked eye. Its elegance is magnified through their subtlety.
Pastel tones look great when they’re mixed together. Imagine seeing a mural or a scenic view with splashes of mint green, baby blue, light grey, peach, and lavender in the background.
We can’t explain exactly how or why, but it just seems to emit a soothing aura that draws people to them. Perhaps, it would be better to simply marvel at their desaturation.
Pastel colors are colors that have enough white mixed into them to take away the saturation and turn them into a pale version of colors.
The most popular pastel colors of the year have been millennial pink, light azure, creamy mint, and whimsy yellow. All these colors are just a slight variation from the standard pattern of colors.
The old color palette is still very much valid, as it is the source of other colors. But pastel colors are the ones which are in trend now, may it be in home decor or fashion, everyone wants something in pastel.
Pastel color palette is a sequence of pastel colors that go together or are in sync with each other. Pastel colors are used to decorate a home, or design an outfit or editing a picture, etc. There are many uses of a pastel color palette, and there are several options to choose from.
We have prepared 20 best pastels colors with images and their respective color codes (Hex codes) for your inspirations to take place freely!
With its soft pinks and blues, this color palette would look fabulous inside a cute cafe or bakery or maybe a nursery. If you want to borrow it, go ahead.
This pastel color palette is a tad bit warmer. It has a sophisticated look to it and would look great if used in a photo album, or Instagram theme.
Yellow, pink, blue, purple, and orange, this palette has diluted every bright color. It is similar to candies be love and would work well for a kid-themed room, cafe, or a bakery too. But it would also be a great packaging color theme for teen-related products.
Mint to be is all blue and pink and would be useful in creating a palette for a food blog or fashion blog.
Donut Pink may have a lot of pinks, but the grey-blue and the medium sea green, give it a cooler look. It provides a decadent touch but also suggests something frilly.
If you are a lover of TV shows, then you must have heard about Gilmore Girls. Fleeting thoughts are a palette that has been inspired by the color palette that Lorelai suggests to Luke for his diner. It is a bit warmer and a bit spicier.
Fly awe-way screams blues. Not just in the colors but in the mood as well. It can be used as a pastel color palette for an apartment, or even an office.
Crystalized Beauty looks more romantic than other palettes because it has more purple and pink. It would be a classy color scheme for an Instagram fashion page.
I see you cream has more fall colors that lend in a richness. The color palette would make a lovely theme for a cozy home, homestay, or villa.
Sipping Sweet is quite similar to Donut Move, but it has Gold in the palette, which makes it brighter and louder. You can go ahead and use it as you see fit because it has got a universal appeal.
Mini pastel pops is a color scheme you would find mostly in many travel pages on Instagram. It has just the right amount of pink, yellow, and green to make it look appealing and not cheesy.
Slip to sleep has a collection of calming colors that add some mood wherever they are used. It can be an appropriate color scheme for an adult bedroom because it has balancing neutrals like a Silver chalice and quill grey.
Minimalistic delicate pastel has warmer colors that add a bit of character wherever you them. It is a beautiful idea for a living room color scheme or a personal library.
Wood, you pick me up is a pastel color palette for people who don’t want to be obvious pastel color users. The colors are greyish and look used up, but these color patterns look elegant.
Way back to Hue pastel color scheme will transport you to the street of Greece, with whitewashed houses and blue ocean. This color scheme would look appealing if used correctly.
Shades of us like Wood, you pick me up has more mature tones to it. The color scheme can be used in installing kitchen tiles or bathroom tiles to give your place spruce.
Anchoring gates color palette has both a warm and cool touch, as it has both orange and blue in balance. It makes a lively color scheme and can be used in packaging and product designing.
Looking adorable is a tan, beige and blue, but the vibrancy is added by thistle- a pale blush pink. It is a classy and understated color theme that can be used in designing a website.
The road less traveled may lack, pinks, and blues that do not make in any less of a pastel palette. It is an elegant color scheme of fall colors that lend a refined look.
Fifty shades of feminism have enough pink to call it feminine, and enough brown to call it rebellious. It is a tasteful color scheme that would look sophisticated in any way. But its neutral colors would look particularly good when used smartly in fashion.
There is no such thing as warm or cold pastel colors. The warmness of a color is determined by the amount of orange in, and the coolness of a color is determined by the amount of blue in it.
So, pastel colors aren’t warm or cool is it is. Being a pastel color does not make it warmer or cooler.
Pastel colors are made by just adding some white to colors, like lavender is the pastel of purple and peach is the pastel of orange.
In the same way, powder blue is the pastel of blue and blush pink, a pastel of fuchsia pink. So peach (i.e., pastel orange) is warm, while baby blue (pastel blue) is cool.
Warmness or coolness of color is about two orthogonal properties of color.
We are aware of color psychology and how it affects the human brain. Various colors incite different behavior from humans.
Color psychology is the study of hues as a determinant for human behavior. Color impacts the human mind and induces behavior, which means you can use colors to your advantage.
When someone uses pastel colors, it uniquely affects people. Here are the different ways in which pastel color affects your audience, may it be an outfit or a painting.
Induces calmness and peace
Pastel shades have a subtle hue. These colors aren’t loud and gaudy as the rest, so whenever someone gazes into anything with pastel colors, they feel peaceful and calm.
People want their houses to be painted in pale colors, rather than in loud reds and blues because it has a calming effect.
It uplifts like its spring
Spring may be short, but it is the most loved season of all. It is the time when flowers bloom, and you can finally wear pretty dresses.
Pastel colors remind people of blooms and spring. It sets a happy tone for the color scheme.
Renew the romance
Most of the time, it is red roses that symbolize romance. But times are changing, and things can be renewed and redefined. Pastels are now associated with romance.
The subtle pinks and washed-out reds are colors of romance, and people adore these colors. It reminds them of love and romance and all things pretty.
Makes feel things classy and elegant
Pastels are the whitened versions of loud colors. People who have a distinct taste often prefer colors that are moderate and earthy.
Pastel color palettes lend an elegant and classy feel. No matter you use the colors in your wardrobe, in your room, or your website, they always have the same feel.
The way the colorful pastels affect the audience is the reason why it is used so widely in today’s world. It has become a trend, and every industry is catching up on it.
Below are some uses of the pastels colors palette:
Branding
If you want to create a brand, you must decide on a color scheme that will suit your products and services. There have been many brands who have used pastel colors for their branding.
The Only Good brand is an all-natural skincare line from New Zealand. They use a pastel branding scheme that includes soft pinks, yellows, and creamy grays.
They use colors pastels to make a bold brand statement. Another brand that used pastels to leave a lasting impression is the watch brand Zeithaus.
When Rogerio Aredes was tasked with the photos and layouts for watch brand Zeithaus, he used different materials in pastel colors to create a unique and subdued design that matched the watches and their bands.
Pastel colors don’t always mean washed out; they can be used for branding and packaging as well.
Pastels in Photography
As pastels are the newest color trend, it is also used in photography by creative photographers. There are several photography pages on Instagram, which garner a lot of following.
Famous photographers are using a pastel color palette to spruce up their feed. One of the most talented photographers of current times, Simon Kampfer, did a photoshoot called “Ethereal using pastel colors.
In the photoshoot, he used textures with pastel colors as a fabric over floating beings. The images are beautifully surreal and perfectly pastel.
Another futuristic photoshoot was SadGirl 404 Not Found photoshoot by Kelly and Kwokin. In this photoshoot, the photographers use pastel colors, which are strong yet airy, and the model’s skin looks a pastel blue.
To Up your Instagram game
All of us want to gain more followers on Instagram. But it is hard to earn followers when you have a lousy feed. Many use pastel themes in their Instagram feed to improve the look of it.
Pastels work wonders on Instagram and can up your IG game. There is even a photography movement on Instagram, supporting pastel color palettes.
Candy Minimal is a photography movement on Instagram, which involves lots of pastel colors mixed with vibrant neons.
The color trend got so popular that the team behind A Color Story and A Beautiful Mess asked the creator of candy minimal- Matt Crump to put together a filter pack for A Color Story.
The Candy Minimal filters can turn your photos into gorgeous pastel compositions.
Spruce up your Interior
Interior designing welcomes new trends with open arms, and the same happened with pastel palettes. The industry has made a shift from neutrals to pastels, and it seems like pastels are the new neutrals.
Sherwin Williams has color forecasting, just like Pantone. Every year they create color palettes and forecast interior design trends. One of the palettes for 2019 is called Shapeshifter.
It is a collection of pastels and muted greys, perfect for a calm living room or home office. Pastels in ice cream colors are also becoming loved among people, and it lends a happy vibe to houses.
New Fashion Trends
Have you noticed that whenever a color comes in fashion, it becomes viral? For instance, there was a time when everyone wanted to wear a tan-colored boot or top, and then it moved on to rust color, then mustard.
It so happens that fashion and color are deeply embedded. The newest color trend is pastel palettes – and it can be clearly seen in fashion as well.
In the 2019 Marc Jacobs Spring-Summer collection, there were a lot of pastels along with reds and maroons. The talk of the season were three colors- living coral: Clearwater blue and light lavender. Don’t forget to prepare your fashion newsletter and apply these color tips.
Website Designs
Pastel color in website designing may not seem like a bright idea, but when used smartly and creatively, it can do wonders.
The website designs of popular businesses have lots of pastel in them. It is partly because pastel is the trend and partly because it adds a refined look to the website.
Loud and bright colors on the screen may hurt the eyes; pastel colors are gentle on the eye and pleasant to look at.
Hop Deco website is an online graphic design service, which uses a pastel color scheme.
Many may refer to pastel colors as washed out and pale, but if done right they can be aesthetically pleasing and liven up a place. Pastel colors are used in home decor, fashion, or even packaging, as we discussed. Here are some benefits of using pastel colors-
They are beautiful
If you haven’t noticed it yet, then you must now. Pastel is beautiful; the muted tones add a touch of flavor in the most mundane of things. It looks great on walls, on paintings and even in photographs.
They are mood boosters
These colors have a soothing feel, so whenever someone gazes at the color, it seems peaceful. Pastel adds an uplifting vibe to the place.
That is the reason more and more people are using pastel color in their homes.
They are versatile
Beige can be a pastel color, and so can be powder blue. The pastel color palette is diverse; there is a range of colors to choose from.
Whether you want to add a splash of color or mute the overtly bold colors, pastel can always help you out.
For example, a brand used pastel color for its packaging, where they just added a bit of color to simple white background. J.Curl is a fictitious brand created for the sole purpose of branding and packaging design.
The designers used classic pastel colors, pink, sky blue, and mint, on white background. This design became so popular that it was featured in many design magazines.
They add a contemporary feel
Some of us have a knee jerk reaction to pastel color and think it is far too old fashioned. But designers are embracing the pastel color palette.
The softer hues like mint, lime green, Indian red, lavender are some examples, which give a contemporary feel to a place or object.
It isn’t just Instagram that has a pastel color trend going on, but everyone is following the trend. For the past couple of years, the mood has shifted from bright kooky palettes to softer hues of pastel.
From photographers to fashion designers, everyone is using pastel shades for their creation. Colors are cyclical, and while earlier pastel color was considered old-fashioned, it now adds a contemporary vibe.
The delicate pinks, baby blues, pale lilacs, and mint tints may lack the chromatic content, but they add a soothing effect. Every creator is jumping in on the pastel color trend from fashion designers like Marc Jacobs to filmmakers like Sofia Coppola.
This decade is going to witness a lot of pastel color, and even brands are changing their packaging designs to pastel.
The Beau-Tea, Mimigram, Make me lovely cream, B&F Papers, Amor al Postre, The Seventh Duchess, are few of the brands who are using the minimalistic design inspired by pastel color.
It seems likes pastel is here to stay.
More articles on Color Palettes:
Home Color Palettes| Earth Tones Color Palette| Blue Color Palette | Rustic Color Palettes | Food Color Palettes | Neon Color Palettes | Nude Color Palette | Winter Color Palette | Neutral color palette| Orange Color Palette | Aesthetic Color Palette | Pink Color Palette | Wedding Color Palette | Purple Color Palette | Gradient Color Palettes | Red Color Palette
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