Neon Color Ideas for Eye-Catching Designs

efaozia July 21, 2023

Neon Color

Incorporating neon colors is one of the best ways to state a design highlight. People will notice anything you put on display, even from far away, since they are the most vibrant colors of all. The most common use of these colors is on neon signage. However, with people’s creativity increasing, you can find them in various designs, including posters, flyers, social media templates, and websites.

The Origin of Neon Colors

Unlike other colors, neon colors only can be created chemically. They come from noble gasses that enhance illumination and give unique shades. So, what noble gases generate what colors?

The color shades might be limited. However, it shouldn’t be a limitation for any graphic designer to create unique and creative designs. With so many tools, applications, and software, you can recreate the neon style in your design.

Neon Color Ideas for Your Design

Before the 20th century, neon colors didn’t exist on the traditional color spectrum. Fortunately, today you can generate those colors from the primary and secondary colors. The resulting colors are close to the original colors of the neon lights we usually see. Then, what color derivatives are produced from these primary and secondary colors that you can use as color ideas in designs?

Red

In the color scheme wheel, red itself has occupied the position of a color that is quite sharp, bold, and vibrant. To get a more neon color impression, set it on high saturation and brighten it. Besides the neon red, as mentioned in the image above, this primary color also produces other red derivatives. You can try electric red, bright red, and fluorescent red.

So, what colors best complement or combine with the red neon variations? No matter what neon color you finally use, the best is to pair it with calmer tones. Pair the red with gray, mustard, cream, teal, pink, yellow, and subdue red. These colors will make the red really stand out and be easily seen. Or, try to be bolder by combining red and yellow. It will, without fail, catch people’s eye the most.

Blue

Blue is one of the cool tone colors from the neon scheme you can see in various graphic designs. It is often associated with the spark of electricity. So, it will be common to find this color in gaming, electronic tools, or music night-related and futuristic designs. Pick electric blue to get the spark closer to vibrant or electric cyan. There’s also neon blue that you can get from the true blue with high saturation that was popular after the invention of blue neon lights.

Pairing electric blue or neon blue with black will be the ultimate combination, although black will make all the neon colors stand out. You also can try to match them with white, silver, coral, orange, and, not to mention, muted blue shades. Whether the electric one or the neon one, when you pick this blue, you can connect the excitement, energy, and action to your audience.

Green

Among neon colors, green is suitable for providing accents or highlights that are not excessive but very striking. The green derives neon green with the highest saturation, electric lime, closer to bright yellow and green, and UFO green, which is placed in between. They are the perfect colors to apply on fashion-street, extra-terrestrial, or computer-related design themes.

When you apply these colors to your design, you can pair them with pink, light blue, white, yellow, and teal. The final design will be so bright. It will be perfect to bring up the cheerful and fun vibe.

Orange

Some categorize orange under red color. It is indeed true since the color comes from red and yellow which makes it a secondary color. For the neon variation, you can try to use electric orange. It is a good choice to represent cheerfulness, especially in the summertime. You can apply it as the main color or accent to complement any design you create.

Mix and match the electric orange with burgundy, brown, white, olive green, cream, and golden yellow. If you want to combine it with other neon colors, try to pair it with the blue one. It will have a contrast effect that accentuates each color.

Pink

Another color that brings a futuristic vibe to neon schemes is pink. For many people, its vibrant color also brings the 80s nostalgic feeling. From this color scheme, you can get neon pink that is bright and pure. There’s also plastic pink like cotton candy. Lastly, magenta is closer to purple yet with an extreme brightness it has.

The best neon color pair for pink is blue, but do not hesitate to match it with purple, too. Pair the pink with yellow, cyan, white, light blue, and pale pink for more visibility and highlight purposes. Apply this on your logo or packaging design to look stand out.

Yellow

Give some glow to the design using the yellow neon color. However, although yellow itself already has a bright feature, its neon color has not the same appeal and dramatic effect as others, especially for advertising. One thing for sure is you can always use it as an accent to complement others.

Try neon yellow, chartreuse yellow, fluorescent yellow (closer to chartreuse), and absinthe on your next project. To make the yellow more alive, pair it with purple, black, gray, and navy blue. You also can match it with white to give the effect of light.

Purple

Talking about neon colors, you cannot miss using purple. It will be good to combine with almost every other neon color, depending on the mood you want to create. Pick electric purple or proton purple to get the best combination you need. Although brighter than pure or original purple, this color still can represent luxury.

Ready to Go Bold with Neon Colors?

Taking neon colors as your color palette is quite a bold move. However, it can be a smart choice when you know the goals you want to achieve. Do not hesitate to use those colors when you have a bold brand personality, especially if you involve in the creative industry. It is also a good way to make your design looks edgy and stand out.