Source : Envato Blog
Want to know what color schemes are trending in mobile app design this year? From gradients to high-contrast accessibility, here are the top mobile app color scheme trends to try in 2023…
Color schemes are an ever-changing, ever-evolving aspect of mobile app design. Color is a powerful tool in UX/UI and app design, capable of evoking emotions, guiding user interactions, and creating visually appealing experiences.
Over the past few years, we have shifted from heavy use of bright colors in mobile app design to minimalist, muted color palettes, dreamy gradients, and high-contrast, experimental colors. Regardless of what’s in vogue, staying up to date with the latest color scheme trends is crucial to creating an eye-catching, visually impactful user interface.
So what color schemes are trending in mobile app design in 2023? From dark mode with vibrant accents to retro color palettes, here are the top seven mobile app color scheme trends to try in your next app design.
1. Dark Mode with Vibrant Accents
Dark mode interfaces have gained immense popularity over the past few years due to their sleek appearance. As well as allowing designers to play with more creative elements, dark mode is also reported to reduce eye strain and improve battery life on certain devices, making it a win-win for aesthetics and functionality.
While this trend has been around for a while, UI designers are taking dark mode one step further this year by adding a pop of color to their dark-mode designs. A trend combining dark backgrounds with vibrant, contrasting accent colors, this design style is all about creating a sleek, visually striking result.
2. High Contrast Accessibility
Inclusive design is gaining traction, so designing for accessibility is crucial. High-contrast color schemes ensure good legibility and readability for all users, especially those with visual impairments. Creating a noticeable contrast between text and background colors helps improve accessibility, making the content more accessible to a broader audience.
This trend allows for clear differentiation between foreground and background, ensuring that crucial information stands out. Contrasting color schemes inject energy and excitement into designs while maintaining a clean and modern aesthetic, making a bold statement while remaining accessible to everyone.
3. Gradient Combinations
Gradients have returned in recent years, with designers pushing the boundaries of this dreamy design style. Where we used to see subtle same-color gradients used for UI elements, we now observe designers implementing high-contrast gradients and dreamy pastel gradients. These color schemes create an eye-catching visual effect – especially when combined with complementary patterns and imagery.
Gradient combinations add depth and visual interest to interfaces, often using complementary or analogous colors for a smooth transition effect. Gradients can feature in backgrounds, buttons, icons, and other interface elements, resulting in a vibrant and engaging design.
4. Duotone
Duotone color schemes use contrasting colors to create visually striking and impactful designs. Often seen in images or illustrations, designers convert the original image into two colors, resulting in a bold visual effect. Duotone schemes can create a modern, edgy aesthetic that grabs attention and conveys a strong visual message.
5. Minimalist Color Palettes
Minimalism continues to be a popular design philosophy, and minimalistic color schemes in app design aren’t going anywhere. These schemes often feature a limited color palette or different shades of a single color and play a significant role in achieving a clean and uncluttered look. The simplicity of minimalism helps focus users’ attention on essential elements while maintaining an elegant and harmonious design.
Vector Phone GUI Template. Wireframe UI Kit.
6. Neutral Colors
Drawing inspiration from nature is a timeless trend in design – and app design is no different. Nature-inspired color schemes incorporate earthy tones, pastels, or vibrant colors found naturally in the environment. These colors create a calming atmosphere and establish a connection with the natural world, resulting in a soothing and harmonious user experience.
7. Retro and Vintage Palettes
Nostalgia has a powerful influence on design, and retro and vintage color schemes have recently gained popularity. These color schemes revive combinations from the past, such as retro color palettes from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s. Using vibrant and contrasting colors from these eras creates a unique and nostalgic design style that’s fun and fresh yet familiar.
