Search Icon A magnifying glass icon.
Search Icon A magnifying glass icon.
Subject
Admissions

DEGREES

Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Graphic Design Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Graphic Design Hub

Professional Certificates

Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Explore Graphic Design Career Courses

DEGREES

Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Web Design Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Web Design Hub

Professional Certificates

Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Explore Web Design Career Courses

DEGREES

Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Digital Media Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Digital Media Hub

Professional Certificates

Explore Digital Media Career Courses

DEGREES

Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Digital Media Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Digital Media Hub
You can deepen your software skills and keep up with the latest Adobe CC updates in our online Digital Arts courses.
Contact Admissions

DEGREES

Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Digital Photography Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Digital Photography Hub

DEGREES

Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Explore Fine Arts Degree Courses

DEGREES

Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Illustration Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Illustration Hub

Professional Certificates

Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Explore Illustration Career Courses

DEGREES

Explore Advertising & Marketing Degree Courses
Discover Sessions Advertising & Marketing Hub

Professional Certificates

Explore Advertising and Marketing Career Courses

CERTIFICATES

Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Explore Sessions Career Courses
Professional Cert PLUS
Next Start:
December 1, 2024
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Explore Sessions Bachelor's Degrees
Next Start:
January 6, 2025
Next Start:
January 6, 2025

Color Trends: Airy Blue

by Margaret Penney | December 15, 2016


We’ve seen electric and indigo blue in web design, print, decor, and fashion projects over the past couple years. The latest hue on the horizon to gain favor is one that speaks to an appreciation of tranquility, freedom, and weightlessness.

Airy Blue is a light blue, and well, like air.  Airy Blue is part of the pastel family, and like butter yellow and cotton candy pink, is popular now and being applied in unexpected ways that challenge previously held ideas about how these colors work and what they mean. Let’s take a look at how Airy Blue is being used in a few different projects.

Future Blue

a0cfc345750785-583c3c387fc17

KidBot

For the KidBot character design project we can see how futuristic airy blue can look, especially when combined with white and a metallic chrome. Airy Blue has a kind of cold and clinical feel, since it is somewhat neutral and lacks in vibrant in-your-face color saturation. Kidbot appears peaceful and tranquil as he circles the globe.

KidBot

KidBot

Airy Blue also appears from the future for Air Max 2017. Airy Blue is used as the main branding color and gives the imagery of the shoe a weightless and otherworldly look.

2b6c5546146889-584ebc6e0cda7

c2b8f846146889-584966c412591

 

The Air and the Earth

Airy Blue is also a good complement for earthy greens and neutrals like potter’s clay. It adds a kind of crisp elegance to design projects for restaurant and food-related businesses since it tones down and cuts through the overall effect of earthy foodie hues.

400ee831843309-5837f0965f6f2

Bee Salt by Aleksandr Maksimov

 

Angelic Blue

Airy Blue can also have a soft, light, almost angelic look that appears feminine and premium when paired with gold and other light and neutral shades. Airy Blue is more sophisticated than a Baby Blue so it lends itself to fashion and style projects more easily,

412c42a0ab3339111d58f875803512c8

Aisle Society

airyblue_5

via The Elegance of Runway

Modern Blue

Airy Blue is also a great choice for clean, modern and geometric design projects with high contrast palettes. In this magazine cover we see how well it works with black and white.

74874b36994453-57313be9b58b4

Counter Current

Or here we see how it amplifies the crisp sophisticated feel of this geometric pattern:

de31e4dc5c4d4487e596cf0ad609de0c

In the Halo Events branding project we see how it works to enhance this modern and premium design.

3abca635e96c632dd991f578fa974378

 

 

 

 

 

Margaret Penney is the Managing Editor of Notes on Design. Margaret is a teacher, designer, writer and new media artist and founder of Hello Creative Co.

 

If you are interested in learning more about using color, Sessions College offers a Color Theory course and many other graphic design courses for students at all levels. Contact Admissions for more information.

This blog is powered by Sessions College, the leading online school of visual arts.

©2024 Sessions College for Professional Design  All rights reserved

Terms & Conditions       Privacy Policy