woman in yellow coat standing with yellow balloons.
Finding colors that resonate has always been popular in terms of clothes, interior design, and art. We are just drawn to certain hues because some speak to us more than others. But have you ever wondered why different generations often seem attracted to some colors and not others? Is it a reflection of that generation's overall personality and interests or there is something else at play?
In the article "Once you spot Gen Z's favorite colors, you'll see them everywhere" for Fast Company, Angelica Frey writes:
"In recent years, Gen Z has adopted a distinct palette that has one foot in techno-nostalgia and another in the aesthetics of the current digital world. It’s a preference that’s seeped from viral social media campaigns into Gen Z-focused brands, and finally into the mainstream for everyone else to consume."
Gen Z, yellow, bright colors, color schemes www.youtube.com
Frey's point is eye-opening and leads to an even bigger question. It's "a perfect, self-fulfilling feedback loop of marketing and trend chasing that leads to the question: How do generations develop their preferences in the first place?"
Frey cites head of creative content at Coloro, Caroline Guilbert, who claims that while Gen Z seems drawn to super bright colors like "sunny yellows," they also enjoy the deep hues. "Gen Z loves darker hues too, which elicit the vibrancy and vastness of the cosmos. Gen Z is more grounded in mystery and in celebrating a sense of darkness—not in a depressive way, but as a way of celebrating the whole spectrum of emotions. A color like Midnight Plum embodies that desire for foreign escapism into real and digital life."
She then gives examples of iPhones and lipsticks which embody those colors and vibes, which again begs the question: which came first—the trend or the marketing choices?
A woman with berry lipstick eats a cherry. Photo by Elise Wilcox on Unsplash
Of course, every generation has its colors. Frey writes, "Every palette tells a story. In the 1950s, cool pastels dominated interiors and fashion, signaling idyllic prosperity; in the 1960s, youth culture embraced the brights of psychedelia. The ’80s had acid brights to signal youth and optimism, and early 2000s saw a wave of techno-optimism conveyed through bright pastel shades."
Reddit also gets in on the fun. On the subreddit r/Zillennials (the generation sandwiched between Millennials and Gen Z), someone states, "You know how there’s Millennial Pink and Gen Z Purple. What color do you associate with Zillennials?"
- millenial pink, color schemes, marketing, generations www.youtube.com
A couple of Redditors got super creative: "Sunset overdrive." "Electric teal." "Translucent blue of the GameBoy Advance."
A resounding number of them answered with some sort of green: lime green, sage green—the latter of which someone says are their "wedding colors."
A bright SpongeBob SquarePants. en.wikipedia.org, Nickelodeon
Interestingly, many of the comments reflect how Zillennials grew up. One person offers, "90s cup turquoise or SpongeBob yellow." Another says, "Consider this: Nickelodeon orange."
Adding to that? "Not my favorite color combo, but somebody else mentioned Nickelodeon Orange, which I think is super accurate, and it’s hard for that to stand without Nickelodeon Slime Green."
Demi Lovato gets slimed at the Kids' Choice Awards in 2018 Giphy, Nickelodeon