But what color is chartreuse?

Learn what makes this yellow-green color special, and how to integrate chartreuse into your own designs, photos, and illustrations.

Explore Illustrator

So many colors, so little time.

Unlike bright blue aquamarine or rich pink magenta, the color chartreuse isn’t very well known. In fact, “I think that many people don’t know what color chartreuse refers to,” says designer Emma McGoldrick. But this green-yellow color is nothing new to the world of design.

Art, design, fashion, and color are cyclical. What’s in vogue today fades in popularity tomorrow, and retro aesthetics often make a comeback years after they’ve fallen by the wayside. But certain hues can represent entire design trends. “Millennial pink” for example, is a warm shade of light pink that dominated the design world in the mid-2010s. And while chartreuse has been around for a while, it’s gaining popularity again.

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What’s in a color name?

Chartreuse was named after a greenish-yellow French liqueur, originally made by Carthusian monks in the early 1600s. With the rise in popularity of this distinctive beverage during the 1800s, the drink’s color and name became synonymous. From there, chartreuse made its way into women’s fashion and decor, including feather fans, beaded purses, and silk gowns. It was especially popular in the 1920s, since it was viewed as bold, vibrant, and rebellious.

More recently, though, “something that really made people start talking about it was the chartreuse gown and jacket that Michelle Obama wore,” explains designer Emma McGoldrick. “That’s where the big obsession with chartreuse began.” Now, according to Etsy, chartreuse is the official color of 2020.

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Shades of chartreuse.

Just like every other hue on the color wheel, chartreuse comes in different tints, shades, and tones. “Chartreuse is really a mix of warm and cool colors,” explains designer Aliza Ackerman. “The greener shades of chartreuse have more of a fresh springtime, retro feel to them, while the yellow shades of chartreuse can be a little bit perkier. In general, it’s a very reassuring and refreshing color. It represents life, growth, and vitality.”

Some examples of chartreuse are more bright, like a lime green or apple green. Others are more subtle and muted, like a pistachio or avocado green.

How to use chartreuse.

Vivid and visible.

The colors we see and experience are a result of which wavelengths of light are reflected off objects and back into our eyes. The rods and cones in the human eye then translate that information and transmit it to the brain. Because of this, certain colors are easier for us to see and understand. “And chartreuse is the color on the spectrum most visible to the human eye. So it’s a great design decision to use that color as a call to action or accent an area that you want to draw attention to,” explains Ackerman. Consider the color chartreuse the next time you design an app or website.

Complimentary color palettes for chartreuse

Eye-catching color combinations.

Chartreuse is best used as a highlight or accent color. Since many shades are quite bright and attention grabbing, they can overwhelm the viewer when used as the primary color. “Instead, pair chartreuse with a warm dark gray or something,” says Ackerman. When you add more neutral or calm hues to your color system, like cream, black, gray, or blue, you can either tone down the bright shades or highlight the contrast. Just experiment with different shades and tones, and see what works best for your design.

Wall paint colors and home decor.

Aside from web design and illustrations, chartreuse also makes a great choice for interior design color schemes. The Pantone color Bright Chartreuse is a popular favorite of late. “But keep in mind, chartreuse shows up very differently in different mediums, whether digitally, in fashion, or paint,” explains McGoldrick. So before you choose a darker green chartreuse for your dining room, or a bright chartreuse yellow for the living room, get samples and see what works best for the space, especially if you plan to take real estate photographs.

The color chartreuse is bright and cheerful, and with such a wide range of shades and hues, it’s a versatile color for your design needs. So whether you incorporate chartreuse into your next website design, digital drawing, or still life photo, use Adobe Creative Cloud to fine-tune all your projects and find the perfect shade of chartreuse.

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