A Burst of Sunshine

Lemon, citrus, charteuse, goldenrod, mustard, solar. Whatever shade you call it – it’s yellow.

Yellow is everywhere right now. From wall colors to dishes to clothing, retailers have the trend pegged. Crate & Barrel’s new catalog features a ‘banana’ colored mixing bowl and J.Crew is promoting custom Sperry duck boots in ‘lemon twist’. Benjamin Moore is showing kitchen walls painted ‘grape green’ against dark chocolate cabinets. And Nordstrom’s features a pattern of yellow sun rings on their main Juniors’ webpage. Shop windows, catalogs, commercials, product packaging and websites are all featuring this peppy color. It must be because springtime is calling for a little bit of sunshine to brighten our dull and dark winter palettes.

It’s easy to follow this design trend. Pair a citrus yellow with charcoal gray or black to tone it down, or a complete a vibrant palette with a pool blue, grass green and tangerine orange. For a modern look, use lots of white and a splash of hot pink against big blocks of lemony yellow. Or mix a soft butter yellow with light teal, pale pink and brown for a vintage inspired design.

Printing on a yellow paper stock is also a way to get a richer hue instead of printing a process yellow on a white stock. Using yellow on the web is a bit trickier; it doesn’t always display accurately on monitors and can be hard to read as type. It makes a great background, though, and a variety of colors look great with it.

Does this yellow trend invoke happiness? It sure is cheerful. Picture a field of daffodils or sunflowers against a cloud-free blue sky. It can only make you smile.

Will the lean to yellow last? Unless you are planning to completely overhaul your brand look, corporate colors, wardrobe or living room, your splash with yellow doesn’t need to stand the test of time. Like the sun, you can just welcome its presence, especially after a dreary winter. Everyone seems hungry for this burst of color to brighten the more neutral hues around us. So go ahead, find a yellow hue that’s right for you. Feel the glow!