Color Story: Zest
The color that emulates all things bright and fresh, say hello to April’s color of the month…Zest
Last month, the sun was just starting to poke through the clouds as spring was on the horizon. Now the sun is out, spring is here, and April’s color totally embodies this time of year.
This month’s refreshing green hue, Zest, is becoming one of my favorite colors. I love to see the earth regain her color and beauty as the grass pops up through the dirt and mud. I mentioned something similar in our Enchanted blog post, but this season always reminds me that the world is in a constant cycle and that beautiful things always find a way of coming back to us.
Green is an obvious color for growth, with its relationship to leaves, plants, and all things living. It’s also often used to symbolize good luck, positivity, health and nature. Green is a symbol for wealth, often being associated with money and positive bank statements (something I’m sure we all enjoy). Yet above all of that, this particular bright green hue represents a different kind of wealth— not monetary—but rather the richness of health.
This color reminds me of bright and tart limes, the insides of fresh avocados, and vibrant leafy greens. I’ve loved fruits and vegetables from a young age and I love for my meals to be as colorful as possible! Zest represents abundance, nutrients, and life! I know if I see this color in a fresh garden salad, or if it’s the color of my morning smoothie; I know I’ll feel refreshed and energized.
Time for an art lesson…
This is a waaaarm green, meaning its hue leans towards the yellow side of the green spectrum. Because of this, we can tell that the yellow one would use to create this color will be a cool yellow. The kind of blue we add to our yellow is very important. Yup, that’s right, not all yellow plus blue combos are created equal! If I were to create this color with my watercolors, I’d take a large amount of Lemon Yellow and take a very small dab of Prussian Blue, add a little bit of water and bam! a perfectly fresh, bright and zesty green! Perfect for painting as many avocados and limes as you want!
a Zesty MOOD
This green is a great POP! of color in anything it resides in. It works well with light taupes and deep browns. It’s powerful in the way it can overtake the eye, almost screaming “look at me!” It’s fresh, vibrant and refreshing leaving me feeling excited (and craving some avocado!)
Fresh, vibrant, and refreshing!
What does Zest mean to you? How will you use it in your design challenge?
COLOR PALETTES
WHIMSICAL FLORA
An unusual pairing with Zest, I believe this semi-analogous color scheme appeals to viewers with whimsy in mind. Picture the cover of old fantasy novels or watercolor paintings from the Golden Age of Illustration. Both filled with leafy, bountiful fields, and a zest of mystery as to what they hold.
Inspiration Image Credit (L to R): Pinterest. Pinterest. KateHarris Shop. Justin Borbbely photography. (All photos have been linked to original source if possible.)
ROOT VEGGIE
In the spirit of the raw and fresh energy that this color exudes, here’s an ode to all those healthy vegetables I preached about in the beginning of the blog! Paired with rustic orange and deep magenta, this palette represents those rustic root veggies and their leafy stems!
Inspiration Image Credit (L to R): Zazzle. MiracleEye. VSCO. Pinterest. (All photos have been linked to original source if possible.)
LUNA MOTH
Inspired by Devin’s favorite flying creature, this palette is derived straight from its namesake, the delicate Luna Moth. This nature based palette is soft, yet mysterious, with a combination of our Zest green, a lighter, brighter green, and two moody dark neutrals.
Inspiration Image Credit (L to R): RedBubble. @Mardibarts on Instagram. Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve. Missouri Dept. Conservation. (All photos have been linked to original source if possible.)
#theyolKzest
Join in on our month DESIGN CHALLENGE! Create a piece of art in a square format, featuring the monthly color, and post to Instagram using the tags @hatchcreativeservices and #theyolkstrawberry to enter the challenge!**
Full details on our Monthly Design Challenge, including instructions on how to participate, are listed below. Thanks!
Zest Color Formulas
HEX #8ab22a
RGB 138, 178, 42
CMYK 52, 12, 100, 0
Entries from last month’s design challenge: Golden Child
Design Challenge Deets
**Please read the following carefully.
By tagging your piece on Instagram as part of the design challenge, you are agreeing to allow Hatch to use your image in a future blog post and/or other blog promotions with credit listed in the form of your Instagram username. Complete challenge instructions and disclaimers are as follows:
How the challenge works:
Each month we will unveil the color of the month, just as we did here.
We’ll give you tons of info and inspo to get you started.
Then YOU will create a square design, illustration, or any form of art featuring that color.
Post it to Instagram by the end of the month! Make sure to tag Hatch @hatchcreativeservices and use that color’s unique “color coded” hashtag so we can find your entry.
We will review all of the entries and pick a few favorites to be featured in the next month’s Color Story post!
DISCLAIMErs
The Yolk Color Story Design Challenge is FREE to enter. There are no fees, forms, or other requirements to submit an entry.
This is a friendly, creative design challenge open to anyone who wants to participate.
A number of entries will be selected by Hatch to be featured in the next month’s Color Story. There are no prizes or other incentives. Just the sweet, sweet feeling of creating art and connecting with other creatives.
This design challenge, Hatch, The Yolk, or any of our collective entities, are in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administrated by, or associated with, Instagram.