Refreshing Spring Color Palettes Perfect for Photography

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With a hint of spring in the air, think about what colors can renew your portfolio. Explore trending Aqua Menthe and Lush Lava with these color palettes.

For inspiration, two of the three dominant shades featured in Shutterstock 2020 Color Trends — Aqua Menthe and Lush Lava — capture springtime’s return to life.

Spring Color Palette: Aqua Menthe

A bright and breezy cyan-mint, Aqua Menthe instantly uplifts content with its bright and serene hue that’s reminiscent of crystal-clear tropical waters and summer vacations. Try looking for this color if you’re out taking pictures or shooting footage. Think fresh spring buds coming out of the thawing winter ground or, in urban environments, the way the spring sun hits tinted windows on skyscrapers.

Here are some beautiful images featuring Aqua Menthe to get your creative ideas flowing.

Aqua Menthe is a cool but vivacious mint green. Image by Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko.

Water is often associated with rebirth. Some spring festivals such as Smygus-dyngus (wet Monday) in Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe feature the use of water (in this case throwing a girl into water). The soaking is meant to encourage the spring rains that will bring a fruitful harvest later in the year.

Play off of Aqua Menthe’s association with water. Image by Hi-Point

When it comes to design, think of this color as a backdrop for anything from packaging to websites and apps. In web design, Aqua Menthe is an ultra-bright and vivid mint green hue, with the hex code #7FFFD4. The Spring/Summer 2020 New York Fashion Week (NYFW) palette includes Biscay Green (Pantone 15-5718), a similar color described as an “aqua shade connected to cleansing waters.”

Aqua Menthe also lens itself to luxe designs. Illustration by olgers

For more inspiration, see the full Aqua Menthe Curated Collection.

Spring Color Palette: Lash Lava

Sitting opposite on the color wheel to compliment the minty green tones in Aqua Menthe is Lush Lava. The intensity of Lush Lava’s red combined with the vivaciousness of orange gives it a feeling of optimism and a tropical vibe. Spring is a time of renewed life that brings with it an optimism of better weather and ultimately better things to come.

To communicate that visually, look for natural occurrences of Lush Lava in the warm spring sun or clay-red earth being exposed after a long winter.

A blazing mix of red and orange, Lush Lava conveys optimism and warmth. Image by Abbie Warnock-Matthews

Look for contrasting blues and oranges by simply looking up as in this image below.

Pair Lush Lava with bright blues for eye-catching images. Image by SharonPhoto

In web design, Lush Lava is a vivid orange-red hue with the hex code #FF4500. The SS 2020 NYFW color palette also features a similar shade called Flame Scarlet (Pantone 18-1662). The hue is similar to Lush Lava in that it burns brightly and exudes confidence and determination.

When creating patterns, look to this bright color to add a vibrancy to backgrounds and make other colors pop by creating high contrast.

Add contrast to colorful designs with Lush Lava. Illustration by Valera197615

To get things even more heated up, see the full Lush Lava Curated Collection.

So get out there and start looking for these hues in your everyday travels or keep them in mind when planning your next shoot or dreaming up a new illustration.

For even more inspiration, check out these other blog posts based around this year’s color trends:

2020 Color Trends: See the Spectrum Using Shuterstock’s Color Trends to Make Your Illustrations Pop Colorful Packaging Design: 15 Vibrant Examples to Inspire Cozy and Luxurious: Using Earth Colors in Your Designs The Origins, Symbolism, and Design Power of the Color Coral

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