What colour goes with yellow?

Summary/Overview

Yellow is one of the most cheerful and attention-grabbing colours you can use. Whether it’s a soft pastel or a bold neon, yellow adds warmth, energy, and optimism to your designs. But to really make it work, pairing it with the right colours is key. In this guide, we’ll explore different colour combinations that bring out the best in yellow, so you can create visuals that feel fresh, modern, and expressive. Use Adobe Express to experiment with these colour pairings and make the most out of your yellow colour palettes across all your different printed and digital designs.

Yellow and grey for modern, stylish, and balanced colour themes.

Yellow and grey is a popular pairing for good reason; it’s modern, minimal, and visually striking. Grey helps ground the brightness of yellow, offering a neutral backdrop that allows the yellow tones to pop without overwhelming the viewer. This combination is ideal for anyone looking to design promotional materials, social content, or invites that feel professional yet energetic. It’s also great for branded content where you want to appear fresh but not too flashy.

If you’re running your own business or managing marketing content solo, this palette offers a versatile, easy-to-use solution. Use a cool grey for sophistication or a warm grey for a softer, more natural look. Try pale lemon with light grey for a calming aesthetic, or bold sunflower yellow with charcoal grey for maximum contrast. This mix is also print-friendly and works well across digital platforms. Whether you’re creating flyers, social media graphics, or email newsletters, yellow and grey is a dependable pairing that delivers both flair and function. Learn more about colour modes and consistency across print and digital designs.

Yellow and navy for bold, high-contrast, and eye-catching designs.

If you want your design to stand out, yellow and navy is a bold choice. Navy is deep, rich, and dependable, making it a perfect counterbalance to yellow’s brightness. This pairing grabs attention without being garish, making it ideal for promotional campaigns, banners, and social media graphics where visibility matters. Start with either yellow cards or blue posters, and then add your complementing colours.

For solopreneurs and marketers juggling multiple tasks, this colour combination offers impact with minimal effort. Navy brings weight and professionalism, while yellow adds a spark of creativity. Try using navy as the background and yellow as an accent to draw focus to key details. This combination works particularly well in industries where trust and creativity go hand in hand, like coaching, wellness or consultancy. Learn more about the power of colour psychology in marketing and the impact of colour blocking on designs. With Adobe Express, you can explore bold looks of navy and yellow across editable templates designed for content that needs to get noticed fast.

Editable templates for yellow-themed content.

Yellow and pink for playful, energetic colour pairings.

Yellow and pink is the go-to colour combo for fun, upbeat, and playful designs. This duo gives a positive, almost nostalgic feel, perfect for content that needs to feel friendly, vibrant, or informal. Think summer events, community notices, or small business promotions with personality.

To use this pairing effectively:

• Start light. Try pastel pink and pale yellow for soft, welcoming content like thank-you cards or social quotes. These gentle colours can be used in kidcore- and dreamcore-inspired styles.
• Dial it up. Mix hot pink with bright yellow for event flyers or promos that need to pop on screen or in print. Bright yellow and pink combinations fit right into the barbiecore aesthetic. You could also experiment with designs inspired by 90s nostalgia and Y2K styles.
• Use yellow as a base. A solid yellow background with pink text or accents draws attention while keeping things cohesive. Use a yellow background with pink highlights on everything from happy 2nd birthday banners to sunshine flyer templates and even Pride banner templates.
• Add contrast carefully. Add white or soft beige to prevent the colours from clashing or becoming overwhelming. Unless you’re opting for a maximalist style, try to add white or beige space or use yellow and pink in a repetition effect for creative impact.

Use this pink and yellow combo to show energy and joy in your brand or personal designs. With Adobe Express templates, you can quickly apply and adjust these tones to suit different content types.

Yellow and green for seasonal designs.

Yellow and green work beautifully together, especially for seasonal content like spring or summer promotions. These colours reflect nature and growth, making them ideal for wellness brands, eco-conscious businesses, and seasonal campaigns. They’re also a great pairing for educational settings, like classroom decorations, lesson worksheets, notebook covers, and engaging presentations. Yellow brings the warmth, and green adds a sense of freshness. Together, they feel energised and full of life.

For marketers or creative communicators producing content year-round, this combination can be easily adapted. Use lime green with bright yellow for summer offers, or olive green with mustard for autumn sales. This palette is also strong for handmade or lifestyle products, like floristry businesses and soap businesses, where an organic feel is important. If you’re creating materials like email headers, printed leaflets, or packaging labels, yellow and green give you a vibrant and earthy tone that stands out and that customers can connect with. Explore green poster templates and nature posters for more inspiration.

Build your own yellow-themed content with templates from Adobe Express.

Yellow and white for a fresh and uplifting colour palette.

For something clean and uplifting, pair yellow with white. It’s a crisp combination that works especially well for wellness, lifestyle, or education content. Yellow brings warmth, while white keeps things airy and calm. Together, they communicate clarity and a sense of ease, making them ideal for content that needs to feel accessible and optimistic. These colours are classy and understated, perfect for spring and summer weddings, dinner parties and events. Use yellow and white to guide the theme for special occasions, and add them to wedding invitations, outdoor party banners, and even place cards.

This pairing is also ideal for thank-you cards, social posts, or slideshows with a light, professional feel. Keep the yellow as the focal point—a border, a heading, a logo—and let white fill the space. This minimalist combo also supports good readability, which is a plus when designing for digital platforms and making mobile-first design choices. Whether you’re sharing product features or promoting a local event, yellow and white help keep things bright, approachable, and easy to navigate.

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Useful things to know.

Is yellow too bright for professional content?

Not at all. Yellow can add warmth and friendliness to professional designs when used in moderation. Plenty of popular brands embrace yellow as a core colour in their brand palette. Pair it with neutral colours like grey or navy to keep things balanced, especially if using it in presentations or on business cards.

Can I use yellow in winter campaigns?

Yes. Use deeper shades like mustard or ochre, and pair with forest green, burgundy, or dark grey for a seasonally appropriate feel. Explore deep winter palettes for more inspiration.

What emotions does yellow evoke?

Yellow is often associated with optimism, energy, and clarity. It’s great for grabbing attention or creating a cheerful tone in both personal and professional content. If you’re not sure if yellow should feature in your core colour palettes, discover which colour represents hope and how to use muted colours in your designs.

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