Spring has officially sprung here in northern California, and what better way to bring in the new season than with some beautiful pastel color palettes?
Although I tend to favor neutral colors when buying clothes, decorating my home, and designing brand identities, I’ve always had a soft spot for pastels. Pastel colors like lavender, baby blue, and soft pink have such a warmth and friendliness to them that’s hard not to like. Perhaps it’s because they remind us of nature’s beauty, for instance flowers or a baby blue sky on a warm, sunny day.
What are pastel color palettes good for?
As a brand designer, part of my job is creating intentional color palettes for clients. Different colors convey different feelings and emotions, therefore it’s important to choose your brand colors wisely. Before you create a palette, it’s helpful to have a clear understanding of your brand values, positioning, and personality. The more you get to know your brand and ideal audience, the easier it gets to choose colors that best represent your brand.
Pastel color palettes are generally soft, warm, and pale. The paleness is a result of adding white to color. A classic example of a popular pastel color is millennial pink, a recent trend, which I’m not embarrassed to say I was very on board with (soft pink is my favorite color!)
So, what kind of brands are a good fit for a pastel color palette? In a general sense, pastels could work well for brands that are light-hearted, friendly, and youthful. In addition, pastels, especially pink and lavender, tend to lean towards the feminine side.
Here are some specific examples of businesses that could pull off a pastel color palette:
- Daycare
- Florist
- Children’s boutique
- Ice cream shop
- Balloon artist
- Party planner
- Beauty brand
- Social media manager
- Graphic designer
Keep in mind, this is not an exhaustive list. If you’re in a different industry and you love pastel colors, and you know your ideal clients do too, then go for it! Using pastel brand colors could help you stand out among a sea of neutral palettes in your industry.
10 pastel color palettes
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the gorgeous pastel color schemes I curated for you. Be sure to pin your favorite palettes for easy reference. I’ve also included the pastel color codes for each palette so that you can easily start experimenting with these colors for your own project.
Color palette #1
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Cotton candy: #F2C4DE
- Robin egg blue: #71B1D9
- Baby blue: #AED8F2
- Cornflower yellow: #F2DEA2
- Dusty pink: #F2CDC4
Color palette #2
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Dusty blue: #ABD3DB
- Seafoam: #C2E6DF
- Pastel green: #D1EBD8
- Pale green: #E5F5DC
- Cornsilk: #FFFFE1
Color palette #3
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Blush: #F2D0D9
- Cloud grey: #F2F2F2
- Cornflower blue: #B8C6D9
- Denim blue: #8596A6
- Light salmon: #F2D9D0
Color palette #4
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Slate blue: #A9B5D9
- Clementine: #F2A477
- Red orange: #F29472
- Baby pink: #F2C4C4
- Light silver: #F2F2F2
Color palette #5
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Sea green: #5F9595
- Sun orange: #F0BC68
- Pastel teal: #C4D7D1
- Pastel pink: #F5D1C3
- Salmon: #FFB6A3
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Color palette #6
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Light grey: #F0F2F2
- Latte: #D9C4B8
- Cream: #F2DDD0
- Pink lemonade: #F2B2AC
- Flamingo: #F2A0A0
Color palette #7
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Forest green: #365359
- Sky blue: #91D2D9
- Steel blue: #BFD9D6
- Teal: #A3D9CF
- Light silver: #F2F2F2
Color palette #8
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Lavender: #D9BCF2
- Periwinkle: #FEF4FF
- Mauve: #EEBFD9
- Bubblegum: #FFA6C3
- Mint: #D4F5DD
Color palette #9
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Pink lace: #F2DFEB
- Sky blue: #AEDFF2
- Aqua blue: #72DBF2
- Canary yellow: #F2C879
- Sand: #F2D8A7
Color palette #10
Pastel hex codes (top to bottom):
- Pigeon blue: #8990B3
- Peach: #FFD3C4
- Thistle: #DEE3FF
- Pastel green: #DEFFC4
- Sage green: #A0B392
Color palette inspiration
For more inspiring color schemes, check out the following resources:
- 10 sophisticated color palettes (blog post)
- 10 modern color palettes (blog post)
- My color palette Pinterest board (updated almost daily!)
- Coolors (free and fun color palette generator)
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