Muted colours are quietly powerful. While vivid colours may shock, draw the eye drastically or pop in their way, muted colours can convey something much deeper. They often evoke a more peaceful state of mind, associated with pastoral, Romantic paintings – fields of heather, English forests overlooking a cloudy blue lake, angels and cherubs swooning in the low sun.

In this guide, we’ll explore how muted colours can be used in your own artwork, their meaning, what they can convey, and where they can be best used.

What are muted colours?

Muted colours are shades with low saturation, meaning they appear less vivid and softer than brighter, more vivid colours. They are often considered as subdued or desaturated – but that doesn’t mean dull. They are simply the opposite of bright, saturated colours.

They are essentially slightly calmer shades of originally brighter colours, made by mixing a bright carnation red, for example, with grey, brown or a pastel complement to get a soft, desaturated blush.

Explore examples of muted colours.

Why use muted colours?

Muted colours are known for their ability to shift tone, creating a more sophisticated, rural aesthetic. They’re reminiscent of Romantic (think Théodore Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa) and Impressionist (Monet’s Water Lilies) paintings.

But that doesn’t make them an outdated choice for modern pieces. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using muted colours in your artwork:

• Create a serene and soothing atmosphere. They’re perfect for pastoral, landscape paintings and portraits, and more natural, ‘organic’ brands.
• Promote visual harmony and balance. Muted colours can gently set the scene with natural hues without overwhelming the viewer.
• Allow other design elements to stand out. Creating muted, peaceful backgrounds can make a piece’s subject more impactful. Think The Birth of Venus or Woman with a Parasol, for example.
• Reduces eye strain in UI design. Using softer, more desaturated colours in backgrounds and graphics can reduce visual stress and even have a calming effect.

The psychology of muted colours.

Muted colours aren’t just nice to look at – any use of colour can generate certain psychological effects. This makes colour choice quite an important step, especially when deciding what muted colours to use in design.

According to colour psychology, every shade has some sort of conscious or subconscious association with an emotion, event, place or brand, and their symbolic influences are quite literally all around us.

With this in mind, here are a few things muted colours may evoke in your audience. You may want to consider these when deciding whether muted colours are the right choice for your project or brand:

• Calming and peaceful.
• Safe, familiar and nurturing.
• Nostalgic and warm.
• Classic and sophisticated.
• Neutral and harmonious.
• Natural, serene and evocative of growth.

Vivid vs. muted colours.

Vivid colours are essentially the opposite of muted colours. They often have completely different uses, and are used to convey a range of emotions and intentions that are a little more lively and upbeat than their muted counterparts.

Here are some tips on how and when to use them.

When to use vivid colours.

• To create contrast and draw attention.
• When a bold and energetic feel is desired.
• To convey a strong emotion – such as excitement, joy or urgency.
• To enhance certain visuals or key focuses.
• When targeting certain audiences – for example, young children.

Combining vivid and muted colours.

• Use muted colours as a base and vivid colours sparingly for emphasis.
• Control where you direct the user’s attention with vivid colour accents.
• Create contrast and harmony where needed, using complementary vivid and muted colours.

How to create muted colours.

There are multiple methods when creating muted colours, whether you’re painting or using them in graphic design. Even if you’re not working with paints, online tools allow you to mix and create your own colour palettes in a few seconds.

Here are a few ways to build out your muted colour palette.

Mix with complementary colours.

If you mix a shade with its complementary shade (the one opposite it on the colour wheel) it’ll help to mute it.

Add white tints.

A white tint helps to make a colour softer and lighter – ideal if you’re looking to add a touch of pastel.

Add black or grey shades.

Black and grey make a colour less vibrant. Grey especially helps to mute shades, while black will darken them.

Mix with brown, earthy tones or neutral tones.

Browns and neutrals (like beige, for example) can balance out a palette and add a little harmony.

Wash with white or grey.

By adding a transparent wash, you can gradually tone down colours. The more layers, the more desaturated things will become.

Use saturation controls in design software.

By toning down saturation, this can help desaturate the overall image. Decreasing the contrast and black point will also add a slight ‘wash’ effect.

Whatever your project, experimentation is key to getting the perfect results. Try out different methods using different tools to see what works best for you. You should also refer to your own market research to analyse what similar brands are doing, and how audiences react to their aesthetic.

Muted colours at work.

We’ll now run through real-life examples of muted colours, exploring how they’re used practically today, and how you could best utilise them in your own work.

Muted colours in graphic design.

Using muted colours in graphic design can create a sense of calm and tranquillity. They offer a feeling of visual harmony, perfect for brands or projects within sectors like healthcare, beauty and sustainability.

For example, muted colours can be used in:

• Branding and packaging. AVEENO^® provides a good example here, with muted greens and oat-beiges on packaging and labels representing the soothing, calming effect its products have.
• Web design. Ffern, the online perfume company, uses only muted neutral tones on its website and socials. Its perfumes are crafted to create and trigger certain emotions and memories, with the colour palette supporting this nostalgic, dreamlike aesthetic.
• Interior design. McDonald’s famous switch from vibrant red and yellow buildings to muted greens and neutrals helped it appear more organic.

Examples from art history.

Of course, the use of muted colours is most associated with works of art, including Romanticism, Impressionism and abstract art. Here are a few of the most famous examples.

• Giorgio Morandi – Still Life. Morandi’s collection of still life paintings uses muted greys, creams and beiges to represent the tranquillity and neutrality of household objects, insinuating a story behind common, personal treasures.
• Gustav Klimt – The Kiss. This iconic work of art, featuring a couple embracing each other, uses muted yellows, blues and purples to illustrate intimacy and warmth. The muted hues of classically vibrant colours illustrate tenderness rather than simplistic joy.
• Vilhelm Hammershoi – Interior from Strandgade. Hammershoi’s use of monochromatic, neutral colours helps depict this normal scene with emotional intensity. Everyday fixtures, like doors and windows, are brought to life through the use of muted, everyday colours.
• Van Gogh – Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Van Gogh’s use of colour is legendary, and Fishing Boats is a prime example of how he mutes originally vibrant colours (yellows, blues and reds) to portray a tranquil sense of place. He uses this technique, alongside harnessing more vivid colours for the painting’s subject – the boats.

Examples of muted colours.

There are many classic examples of muted colours, though it’s also possible to experiment and create your own palette. Below, we've listed a few of our favourites to help you get started:

• Subdued Coral: #d08f7d
• Pale Blue Grey: #bfc7d6
• Sage Green: #a9b7a9
• Vintage Peach: #d39e6b
• Muted Turquoise: #64a8a8
• Drab Brown: #967249
• Muted Gold: #c1a65c
• Faded Mint: #aaffc3
• Pale Mauve: #e0b0ff
• Weathered Blue: #677179
• Soft Terracotta: #cc7a6f
• Antique Rose: #c9a3a4
• Desert Sand: #edc9af
• Dusty Rose: #b18ea9
• Olive Green: #6b8e23
• Muted Teal: #508b8b
• Faded Lavender: #a899e6
• Soft Grey: #b0b7b9
• Beige: #f5f5dc
• Mustard Yellow: #d3a427

Browse these muted colour template examples.

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Useful things to know.

Are muted colours the same as neutral colours?

No, muted colours and neutral colours are not the same, though they can overlap and share similar characteristics. Muted colours are shades that appear desaturated, softer or less intense than more vibrant colours, while neutrals lack strong undertones (e.g. grey, white and beige). Often neutrals are used to mix with or wash colours to make them more muted.

What are muted and unmuted colours?

Muted colours are desaturated, softer and less vibrant, while unmuted colours are the opposite. They’re brighter and bolder with a higher saturation, often referred to as vibrant colours.

How do muted colours enhance user experience?

Aesthetically, muted colours can evoke calmness, tranquillity and a softer and more soothing emotional response. When used in marketing and UX design, they can also help reduce eye strain and can make harsher copy-colour contrasts easier to read.

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