Everyone has a favorite color or perhaps several colors they are naturally drawn towards. For some people, these are the more pastel colors, often associated with spring, or the deeper jewel colors associated with summer. It may also be the darker earthy colors of fall. Of course, there are also the colder looking colors of winter, which include the collection of whites and off-whites as well as colors with more of a blue to pink undertone.
To further add to the importance of the choice of colors for a professional website design, there are also colors that are in style and trendy and colors that are out of style and can make a website look dated and old. The Pantone fall colors are a good example of trendy yet classic colors that can be used to give an old website a new look or be incorporated into new website design.
What are Pantone Colors?
Pantone, a printing company in the United States, created the Pantone Matching System, a way identify specific colors by a unique series of numbers and letters that allow for exact reproduction of the colors in all types of printing and design. In essence, this system allows for any website designer, printer or graphic designer anywhere in the world to accurately and perfectly reproduce identical colors with just the Pantone code.
Pantone also develops a set or a series of colors that are in style for different seasons of the year. These colors are the “hot” colors for the season, and it is likely you will find them in the latest fashion designs, in logos and on websites developed in a specific period of time.
The Fall 2016 Pantone Colors
Overall, the Pantone fall colors for 2016 tend to be softer and more muted than some of the deeper and more vibrant fall colors of the past. However, this doesn’t mean they are boring. They are a great addition to backgrounds, design elements and graphics that will really allow the text to pop off the page and be easy to read.
The choice of colors, according to Pantone, were selected to create a soothing, calming experience and to help to offset the hectic day to day pace of life. These colors are a bit retro in their feel, going back to a time when things were less stressful and more relaxing, and there wasn’t this push to be flashy, dazzling and attention-grabbing.
The top ten colors for this 2016 fall season will include:
1. Riverside – a beautiful soft blue, almost like denim, that goes well with a range of the colors on this list and allows black and white text to take center stage.
2. Airy Blue – a lighter early morning type of sky color, but it is not washed out or faded in appearance. It is very tranquil and calming as a background or accent color.
3. Sharkskin – just as you would expect, this is a soft, light gray that looks very professional and gives that feeling of something solid and dependable.
4. Aurora Red – this is a more vibrant color, but still not a sharp color, rather it gives that upbeat look without being harsh or jarring to the eye. It is a great way to draw attention to a header, graphic or to a specific product or service.
5. Warm taupe – almost a very light café au lait color, this is warmer and softer look on the traditional taupes.
6. Dusty Cedar – this is a rosy brown color that is not overly feminine, which makes it a perfect choice for a unique but trendy fashion forward color for a professional website, logo design or advertising campaign.
7. Lush Meadow – this is another of the more vibrant of the Pantone fall colors and makes you think of a meadow of darker green grass. It gives a sense of being in nature and it is a great way to set that creative tone to a website.
8. Spicy Mustard – definitely not a yellow, this is a softer golden type of hue that is perfect to match with any of the other colors on the list for a pop of color.
9. Potter’s Clay – earthy and more orange than red, this is another great option for an accent color or for use in combination with other colors on the list to create a theme through a website or advertising program.
10. Bodacious – more of a purple to lilac color, but with a softer look, this is becoming a very popular choice for a wide range of professional websites as well as for an accent color.
If you are considering upgrading a website using the Fall 2016 Pantone colors, talk to your website designer and get some ideas of just how these colors can add that special look.
