Aren’t we all just crazy about colors? And the game changes when a gradient enters the picture. The subtle transition of hues is mesmerizing (if done right) and gives your web design the extra edge it needs to win over new visitors, especially in this increasingly competitive digital age.
Let’s start learning about color gradients.
Not only will you get to know the answers to these questions, but we’ll share a bunch of handy resources and tools along with some color gradient palettes for summer, fall, and winter.
Unlike picking the usual themes to create color palettes, we’ve taken three seasons and blended their shades and tones that can match different types of website design, from classic and chic to modern and futuristic.
This guide is also packed with website design inspirations with stunning gradients on home pages, landing pages, icons, and call-to-action buttons.
Let’s get on with the show.
Just like statement jewelry jazzes up your outfit, color gradients do the same for your website – a gradient is indeed a bold and experimental expression.
Color gradients have the power to transform your ordinary flat web page into a unique piece of art, only if this technique is used smartly and aesthetically.
This said fella’s, some definitions of a color gradient include:
Some other meanings of gradient are as follows:
Gradients can be used in print production and they look stunning on websites and social media images. In print, gradients can be tricky unless you use a better quality paper but in web design and development, gradients come out vivid, especially on dark backgrounds.
One of the pioneering platforms to learn HTML and CSS, W3Schools writes on their website that CSS gradient is a smooth transition between two or more colors that can be displayed in linear and radial form.
In web designing, with the help of CSS code, you can create color stops if you arrange the words and symbols in a particular syntax. For example:
#grad { background-image: linear-gradient (blue, purple, red); }
.button { background-image: linear-gradient(rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 100%); }
These codes are helpful when you are not importing a separately made image and want to use coding to achieve the color transition. The very purpose of Cascading Style Sheets is to dress up your plain HTML projects, so if you are not using any other fancy plugins then CSS gradients are sufficient.
Color gradients are highly versatile. They can be used in a number of ways for a variety of things from corporate brand identity to marketing and advertising materials.
Some of the reasons why designers prefer using this technique of coloring in their projects are as follows:
In most design software, you will find two basic types of color gradients: linear and radial. Although they can get limiting at times, there are a bunch of options available. For example, in linear gradients, you can change the direction of the colors while in radial, you can invert the colors.
In some graphic design programs, there are more options like angular and conic gradients. At some point in time, these options became considered as old fashioned, but today, web designers use these tricks to make interesting gradient compositions.
As the world of design advanced, innovative design tools like Gradient Mesh and Freeform Gradient were introduced, years apart. Unlike the typical types of gradients, the freeform tool is all about making immersive gradients to catch viewer’s attention with something distinct and unexpected.
Creating the perfect gradient keeping both the creative brief and design aesthetics in mind is a taxing yet stimulating task. Check out these top tutorials I’ve gathered from around the web to help you make stunning color gradients for outstanding web pages.
Well, for one thing, gradients are still one of the color trends in different types and styles of web design as well as in logo design and product packaging. The truth about trends is that you don’t always discard the old ones. For example, trends like vintage/retro and gradients keep coming back with contemporary twists.
You don’t always need to shout with gradients when designing something modern, in fact the more subtle and simple things are, the more they align with the minimalistic aesthetics.
Fluidity is natural and when designers show it on a website homepage as a hero image then your web page instantly grabs the attention of new visitors or potential buyers.
Instead of putting a plain image with the usual Lightroom touchups, images become more charming with an overlay of gradient.
You can use bright or subtle gradient palettes to emphasize options on the menu by highlighting the words as the user hovers over them.
Flat colors are cliché now so the new idea is to use color gradients in page loaders whether they are numbers or shapes.
Call-to-action buttons are meant to be clicked and what better way than to add a show dancing colors on the shape of the button. You can use gradient fill or outline depending on the overall website design.
Icons on website can be to direct people anywhere from one page to another or from the website to its social media accounts, and if they’re colored with gradients then it’s even more enticing to click them.
Gradients come on all styles and one of the many tricks to pull off a kickass gradient is to choose the right shades and tones of colors to give a unique shine. Halo and Neon gradients are great for party websites or ones that want to step up their game.
Adding gradient side bars on websites lifts the blandness up a bit and in contrast to a flat block, the color ramp stands out. It is a great way to emphasize the content on the side or top.
Websites have been increasingly showing off cards as they make the content look organize but organization doesn’t mean boring. You can use gradient to for a hint of interest.
Subtle gradients with hues like grey and yellow/mustard are used to give a metallic sheen-like appearance to the background of a website or to icons.
Your gradient shape be it a circle, cube, or mango for that matter can be placed anywhere on the web page to convince visitors to explore more.
A number of typography trends are hitting the web design market with some great designs and interactivity to offer.
Thinking about what colors to match in a gradient palette sure is challenging but this is why there are gradient palette tools online for designers and non-designers. Most of the tools are free and are easy to use.
Gradient Buttons – see how gradients look on buttons
Gradient – grab gradients, edit and on the go
Multicolor Gradients – new and exciting colorful gradients ready for use
Web Gradients – copy the CSS code for gradient and paste it in your website CMS
CSS Gradient – get technical with gradients: make your own on the spot
Color Space – create directional gradient palettes and copy code to website
Mesh Gradient Collection – gradient mesh palettes to grab and go
There are a number of ways you can incorporate gradients into web design projects by making it the highlight of the show or using it as a way to break the monotony. Web designers can use gradient palettes for hero images, overlay on images, subscription forms, navigation bar, vector icons, web cards, and etc.
Here is an infographic with gradient color palettes inspired by three seasons: summer, fall, and winter.
Enjoy!
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