Customer preferences keep oscillating, and there is a new trend every day. While you cannot revamp your branding identity to suit these trends, you can adapt them to your advantage. Marketing done the right way leverages color to the fullest. But to do this, you need to understand color trends properly. 

2020 and 2021 were very tumultuous years worldwide. A lot of emotions – good and bad – had a grip on everyone’s lives. Color connects to a very emotional part of our brain. It frames how we react to any design. So the 2022 color trends arise from emotional events and changing lifestyles from the last two years. 

To use them correctly in your designs and send the right message can be hard work. But it is important. And that is why Kimp brings you a roundup of the 2022 color trend predictions and methods to use them in your designs.

2022 Color Trends

As we mentioned, the 2022 color trends are a reflection of the time we just traveled through together as a whole. Since these trends are meant to help you attract your customers more effectively, they gear towards the prevalent feelings in society.

Every industry launches its own color trends right from fashion, decor, art, and graphic design. Marketing design takes inspiration from all these as everyone needs tools to connect with their customers better. 

A study by Shutterstock tells us that serenity is the ruling theme for all marketing and advertising designs in 2022 for color trends. And this is completely unsurprising, to say the least. Humanity has had enough conflict and chaos to last a lifetime if you ask us. 

In terms of clicks and concrete advertising metrics, green seems to be very popular. As it denotes peace, freshness, and the environment, customers are more likely to be open to hearing you if you come bearing a green flag. In addition to green, natural colors are also making a big comeback. Anything to do with nature, mountainscapes, and landscapes can help you boost your conversions. 

But this is not all, customers like other colors too. Our nature is full of colorful elements, and some capture the audience more than others. There are bold colors, sparkly effects, and mixed hues as much as the traditional green and blue. It comes down to your usage, positioning, and messaging. 

So what are the color trends of 2022, and how can you leverage them in your designs? 

2022 Color Trends: 7 Engaging Colors you need to know 

Before we get into the 2022 color trends, you must understand these are wide-ranging, and you have to pick the one that works the best for you. We outline that selection process towards the end of the blog, so stay tuned. 

1) Gray-Green

Gray and green is the color combination that you are going to see everywhere in 2022. This color trend of 2022 combines consumers’ well-established love for green with the elegance that comes from having gray in a color scheme. 

Sometimes green can be a little overpowering and drown the message in some contexts. We don’t want that, do we? We can solve it by mixing it with gray for subtle, classy, and sophisticated shade. 

You can leverage this 2022 color trend for your packaging designs, website design, landing pages, and more. It works everywhere if you are looking to appeal to a sophisticated and modern audience. Choose this across digital and print designs with confidence. 

This color is a favorite for people who love decor so, if you are in the real estate industry, you know what your color for the year 2022 is. 

Curious to see how this color could work for your campaigns? Sign up for Kimp’s unlimited graphic design service.

2) Warm Neutrals 

Building on the serene theme, neutrals are making a comeback this year. The Shutterstock team agrees that customers will gear more towards understated neutral tones than a chaos of colors in the year 2022. So you know that this is a good choice for your marketing and advertising projects. 

Including neutral colors in your design is like having negative space without actually having it. This brings breathing space to your design and allows customers to focus on the message rather than getting distracted by loud colors. This is especially important if your designs will include a lot of copy. 

Brands will also bring a lot of neutral tones into their designs because they spread a sense of peace while working well with their traditional brand colors. Working with this 2022 color trend will not conflict with your brand identity, which is a huge relief. 

We recommend this color for important communications such as newsletters, infographics, announcements, and more. If you are looking for a color palette for a branded video in 2022, you should seriously consider it. 

Some popular Neutral colors to explore in 2022 are those with green and blue undertones such as Opal Blue (#C6E2DA), Honeydew (#f0fff0), and Seafoam (#B8C3B5).

Having trouble choosing which neutral color will work best with your brand colors? Why don’t you sign up for Kimp’s unlimited graphic design service so that you can see designs and mockups instead of trying to imagine them. And we don’t charge by design, just a flat monthly fee so that you can experiment all you want.

3) Calming Coral 

Coral has truly taken off in the last couple of years. Our sources tell us that a major reason for coral being touted as one of the biggest color trends of 2022 is the balance it brings.

Think about it – it is the perfect mix of calmness, brightness, and connection with nature. You have a color that embodies the biggest trends in color, why will it not be popular? What’s more, you can pair it with hot pink, sky blue, or even a sunny yellow, and you get a very well-rounded palette. 

This color is a perfect addition to your marketing designs, not just for the year 2022 but for many years to come. 

We live in a world ruled by aesthetics, and coral is part of every generation’s aesthetic. Perfect for your social media profiles, packaging design, website design, or even logo design if you are starting today – this color has it all.

Calming coral will surely be everywhere in 2022. And it should be.

Kimp Tip: Need help getting your branding designed? Not sure how to get started? Check out this logo design checklist.

4) Violet is Here 

When the 2022 color trends came out and had violet on the list, the internet rejoiced. An underrated color, it is now finally the year of Violet. And not just any violet, it is the year of velvet violet. Now you may wonder what is so special about this color that everyone just loves it so much?

Well, here is how it looks:

Does it not remind you of your happy place? Your favorite sports team and the color you see in an advertisement when something exciting is going to happen? That is why the world loves violet. And velvet violet speaks of the color’s purity and potency – it is the color at the highest level you can imagine. 

Violet or deep aubergine is a popular color when you add a splash of color to your designs without overpowering them. It too has a connection to nature and is the perfect Winter and Spring color. 

So if you want your designs to bring excitement and joy to your customers and remind them of happy times, you know what color to use. 

5) Think shades of Pink

Pink is a very misunderstood and misused color. People often consider it to be only for women, young girls, or feminine products. But it is so much more and the color trends of the 2022 reports tell us that this year the world wakes up to Pink’s potential. Of all the pink shades, we expect the muted pastel shade and the subtle touch of the rose flower to be the most popular. It is known as the Pacific pink (#DB7093).

This pink shade is available in all of the natural elements you commonly see. Flowers, sunsets, and your favorite butterflies – they have it in spades. The brilliance of this color is that it is not overpowering but will happily coexist with the rest of the colors in your design.

People of all demographics find this color easier to accept and handle than hot pink, and that is important for marketing. 

All said and done, this color needs delicate handling and color combinations so that you position it well. Pick this for your luxury product marketing, aesthetic social media feeds, and landing pages for best results. 

6) Green, Green and more Greens

After reading about gray-green you may have been thinking “well what about other variations of green”? Don’t worry. They made the list, and how can they not? But the color trends of 2022 will show you that the color green is not going to have just one tone this year. Nope, this is the year of green, and it is coming out in all its glory. 

A variety of green tones, shades, gradients, and analogous color schemes are expected. You can have your pick for your designs, and we assure you whatever you choose, it will work. Studies tell us that green gets a ton of clicks on the Internet, making it perfect for your advertisements and marketing campaigns.

And the advantage of this color trend is that it is completely non-restrictive. You can choose the shade based on the product you are promoting, your target audience, the brand’s visual identity, and so on.

Go wild with emerald, sage green, lime, mint, neon, and more. As long as it connects with the message, your audience will love it.  

Too many choices? Why don’t you share a mood board and brand style guide with Kimp and see what one our design teams recommend?

7) Retro Colors 

We have seen that nostalgia will be the reigning emotion of 2022 when it comes to marketing trends. So it makes absolute sense that this follows on to the color trends of 2022 too. Pop culture is bigger than ever, and a year of sitting home and binge-watching old movies can make anyone crave even more retro content. 

The retro color tones work well in graphic design because they act as standalone design pieces that do not need a branding base to stand on. 

Even if you are not going full-blown Pop Art or vintage designs, you can leverage the power of the colors to connect with your customers. They usually work well for packaging designs, web designs, posters, billboards, and other print designs. 

Since most neutrals feature in the retro design age, it is a double win for the design team.

How to leverage 2022 color trends in your designs 

Now that you know the most important color trends in 2022, the next step is to implement them in your designs effectively. And while it seems like a daunting task, it is not so. Working with color combinations can be tricky but this roadmap by the Kimp team will make it easier for you.

Brand style guide 

The first step is to share your brand style guide with your design team. This guide will have the particulars of your brand’s visual identity, brand colors, and the colors you use in your marketing materials. Before the design team can choose the color trends for your brand, they must know what you have in place.

This makes the transitions smoother. 
If you do not have a brand style guide in place, include your previous marketing campaign creatives in the design brief or a mood board of your style. You do not want your customers to get a culture shock with the sudden switch, right? Or even worse, not recognize your branding at all.

Industry Analysis 

The 2022 color trends are based on a wide range of industries and customer sets. So if you want to understand which color trend is the best for you, check what is trending in your industry first. Seek out your colleagues and peers to see what their opinions are. Survey the top competitors in this industry and analyze their style. 

Some industries are very color-centric, while some do not have an apparent connection with it. If you belong to the latter, check what emotions dominate the top marketing campaigns. And work with the principles of color psychology in marketing to narrow down the colors. 

Conducting this analysis will help you eliminate a lot of options.

Audience research 

After the industry research, it is time to understand the preferences of your customer base. This is one of the most important steps of this process. As the recipients of your marketing efforts, the colors you choose must invoke the right emotion in your audience for it to be a success. 

So define your target audience, understand what pleases them before you choose to use any of the 2022 color trends.

Marketing and advertising designs 

If you are worried about diluting your brand’s visual identity by following color trends, here is a pro tip. Understand the color trends and implement them only for your marketing and advertising designs. Especially the ones responsible for conversions. A few examples where the 2022 color trends can work for you without any impact on branding are: 

• Landing pages
• Advertisements 
• Social media posts/feed/stories 
• Email marketing campaigns 
• Mockups 

Colors can look a lot different in reality than in your imagination. In marketing, mediums, channels, and printing techniques also have an impact on the final output. 

So it is best to experiment, create a few mockups before you go live. Especially for a print project.
And that is why Kimp Graphics is the best graphic design service all around. Scroll below to know more about our unique offerings.

Leverage the 2022 color trends with Kimp 

Thinking about how to balance color trends, graphic design trends, and your brand’s identity in 2022? Well, that is why we recommend hiring an experienced and skilled team for your marketing designs in 2022. 

Your designs have a huge impact on your bottom line and deserve the utmost attention for them to do their job effectively. 

With Kimp Graphics and Kimp Video you get unlimited graphic design services and unlimited video design and motion graphics services, and can experiment as much as you want. There’s no cap on revisions at all. Our expert team will ensure that you get only the best results. 

Sign up for the free trial now.