I find myself wishing for something old and something blue as I research fall 2023 color trends. Our visual world (OK. The Instagram world.) seems fixated on two colorways: desert sunsets and rainbow explosions. Obviously, there are color moments that dominate for a season like the pink-on-pink surrounding the Barbie Movie. Yet, I’m always seeking out inspiration with nuance. The inky Blue Iris Pantone chip is the color moment I want to see this fall.
Building a Better Blue
In 2008, Pantone declared Blue Iris color of the year. At the time, these releases were a niche event. Few people outside of professional designers really knew about Pantone or its influence on visual trends. As a consumer, I don’t recall it making a big splash. It was around.
I’d love to see a rebirth of this magical color. It’s moody — making it perfect for fall. It’s magical. It’s the perfect continuation of the escapist visuals we desperately consume through our device’s feeds.
“Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspects of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic.” – Pantone
Personally, I’m partial to purple. Yet, I rarely find purple designs I enjoy. Some of that is the tones provided — they tend to be more pink than blue. Most of the time, it’s the complementary colors (dated greens).
Purple Color Trends
Shades of purple have been resurfacing with Regency-inspired aesthetics (Thanks Bridgerton) and Y2K nostalgia (lavender is officially back). It’s feminine without being totally pink — the go-to color for girls who like to be pretty but maybe a little witchy.
Thinking about Fall 2023, I made several color palettes.
Quick Tip: If you’re working in Illustrator, download my color palette images then drop them next to your artboard. You’ll be able to pull the colors quickly.
Blue Iris Color Inspiration
Color conversion
The hexadecimal color #5A4FCF has RGB values of R: 35.3, G: 31, B: 81.2 and CMYK values of C: 0.57, M: 0.62, Y: 0, K:0.19.
Find More Color Inspiration
If you enjoyed this post, jump to the Graphic Design category in my articles. It’s full of color inspiration and I regularly post color palettes with hex codes.
