Meet UFO Green, Plastic Pink, and Proton Purple, a neon trio of turbo-charged colors that perfectly capture the tech-crazy world.
Color is a universal communicator, a dynamic force of the visual world that brings life and meaning to everything we see. It affects how we feel, too. Humans have instinctive, emotional, and cultural reactions to colors across the spectrum.
At Shutterstock, color is in everything we do. From classic black-and-white images to multi-colored illustrations, our collection contains every hue imaginable. That means we can use Shutterstock search data to see what hues our users are downloading most frequently. By collapsing pixel data and hex codes, we discovered the colors our customers can’t get enough of – the Color Trends of 2019. Check out the full Color Trends infographic, and keep scrolling to get an in-depth look at each popular shade.
Fastest Growing Colors
The colors we love in any given season reflect more than trends in fashion, home decor, or design – they represent our cultural moment. Take the subdued, pastel shades of the ‘50s. Clean robin’s egg blue or pale, pat-of-butter yellow gave people a sense of peace and safety after a tumultuous decade of war. The natural greens and browns of the ‘70s aligned with the growing conservationist movement, and the first Earth Day.
If we look to the ideas influencing culture today, technology stands at the forefront. There’s an excited energy driving this movement, so it’s no wonder that 2019’s Color Trends pack a digital punch.
UFO Green
This bright green evokes lush countrysides alongside whirling rows of binary code (a la The Matrix). It’s both natural and supernatural, with a name that reflects its otherworldly quality.
Plastic Pink
This hot pink harkens back to a certain iconic toy but carries a whole new intensity in meaning. A sizzling hue with lots of depth, it captures the electric glow of cities at night.
Proton Purple
Think buzzing neon signs, humming devices, vibrating phones. This vivid purple represents the palpable positive charge of our daily lives.
Local Favorites
While these three colors have universal appeal, we also tracked colors on the rise in countries around the world. From lavender blush in Japan to plum in the U.K., these hues show us local favorites in every region of the globe.
Check out some of these popular colors below.
