Color Gradients are In
Color Gradients
Recently I had the incredible opportunity to craft some artwork for a church sermon series. The vibe I was getting for art direction was “youthful, Summer, and colorful.” That’s when I knew that the use of color gradients would be the driving art direction for this series.
Take a look at the fun and quirky design I crafted for Parkview Community Church’s Voices of Influence sermon series. The bright colors, rounded edges, and floating objects truly give this a youthful, colorful and futuristic feeling.
What is a Color Gradient?
A color gradient is comprised of two or more color hues transitioning from one color to another. Most color gradients are best displayed on screens in RGB mode.
Gradients usually fill a background space and transition in a linear or radial fashion.
The “Newness Vibe”
Okay, enough about me. If you haven’t noticed, color gradients are on the rise with web design, motion graphics, and online/mobile platforms. Color gradients give off a new and futuristic feeling that everyone in 2018 was ready for. Now, the trend of color gradients are in full swing. Whether it’s bright or subtle color gradients, a lot of major companies are using this, and it is really stands-out – especially to audiences who enjoy high tech and user friendly platforms.
Examples
Need a few ideas of great color gradients? Well Sure! It’s good to get straight to the facts, so here are some great examples.
1. Hulu has had different variations of their dashboard throughout the years, but they have had a subtle color gradient be their main look since 2017. Take a look – even their logo is currently a subtle green gradient.
2. Instagram uses very bright and vibrant colors for it’s logo and icon. However, the IG platform balances that vibrance out with a simple, clean and modern platform. See their gradient logo below.
3. Spotify is top on my list for platform design, artwork inspiration, and music. They clearly showcase color gradients in their ads, playlists, and overall branding. Just take a quick peek and you’ll see what I mean.
Make Your Own Beautiful Gradients
By now I am sure you are pumped about using some gradients for your next design project. One way you can expedite the process is by taking advantage of some great online tools to create the perfect gradient. Since gradients have been on the rise, some really smart people took advantage of the opportunity and created websites specifically to help you create beautiful gradients. Here are three of my favorites.
uiGradients - clearly made for the purpose to aid user interfaces in RGB mode
Gradient Hunt - an incredible user friendly resource for linear, radial, and popular gradients
ColorSpace - generate CSS code automatically by finding your favorite 2-3 colored gradients
And There You Have It
If you didn’t know it before, you know it now. Color gradients are IN. Start squeezing in some of your favorite color gradients into your next project. Feel free to comment with your favorite gradient hex codes below!