20 Bright Neon Color Palettes for Striking Designs

Want to electrify your designs? Neon colors are the perfect way to add energy and excitement to your projects. Choosing the right neon color palette can infuse your designs with a shock factor, and boldly differentiate you from others.

Neon colors appeared in the 80s and were associated with fun, parties, and over-the-top fashion. They’ve circled back this year, re-appearing in fashion, and beauty, and lighting up the design space as a graphic design trend.

But adding neon colors to your designs is tricky. To avoid looking gaudy or tacky, we’ve curated some stunning neon color palettes to inspire you, along with tips on how to use them properly.

Let’s dive in!

When to choose a neon color palette

Neon colors are flexible, but they’re not the right brand colors for everyone! If your designs are professional and traditional, neon colors probably won’t work. Here are some pointers on when a neon color palette might be right for you:

Keep in mind that neon colors don’t have the same emotional associations as their non-fluorescent counterparts. For instance, neon green can be seen as nuclear or radioactive, rather than healing and calm. Neon yellow is seen more as a caution sign, rather than its happy and positive counterpart.

20 Neon color palettes for bold design

We’ve curated the latest and greatest neon color palettes that work for any bold design project. Put your sunglasses on and let’s dive in!

1. Neon blue and green

Image source: Pula on Behance

Electrifying and modern, neon blue and green are striking accents to charcoal and smokey grey. This color palette is great for cutting edge designs. It works well for industries like tech, architecture, and design. It can also look great on product packaging!

2. Neon pink and red

Image source: Perla Hesa on Behance

Powerful and feminine, neon pink and red are complementary and work well when blended or balanced out by a third color. The neon mint green adds a sharp contrast to the warmer colors and creates a refreshing look.

3. Pastel neon colors

Image source: Kingdom and Sparrow on Behance

Pastel colors can be neon too! This palette is electrifying, fun, and child-like. The neon mint and pink are a perfect contrast, while the charcoal and yellow add balance between the two. This works well for fun-loving brands that want to turn a boring concept into something visually exciting.

4. Retro neon color palette

Image source: Jo Cutri Studio on Behance

Muted yet bright, this palette is more covert but still bold enough to capture your eye. The beauty of this palette is that all the colors work well together, so you can pair them however you’d like. This palette works great for product packaging, digital illustrations, and logo design.

5. Blue and green neon

Image source: Tutch branding on Behance

This fantastic neon color palette has a contemporary look that’s eccentric and unmistakable. Its unique vibe makes it great for branding, poster design, advertising, and web design. The deep blue offers a sanctuary for your eyes while the yellow acts as the perfect accent.

6. Neon pink, blue and teal

Image source: AAOO Studio on Behance

This electrifying pink and blue combo is balanced out by sunny yellow. These colors are perfect accents for creative industries, out-of-the-box branding, and bold illustrations and photography. Deep blue is the perfect grounding shade and the perfect canvas for these neon colors.

7. Neon yellow color palette

Image source: Kingdom & Sparrow on Behance

Refreshing and bright, this color palette is like a fizzy cold drink on a warm summer’s day. The pink and orange are sweet and have a playful effect, while the lime and sunny yellow add a citrusy balance. It’s great for branding and product packaging!

8. Orange and purple neon color palette

Image source: Dr.Mystery on Behance

Orange, purple, and green are unlikely to match, but they have an unusual and fun dynamic once together. They’re great for experimental branding, packaging, and displaying a fun brand personality.

9. Blue and red neon color palette

Image source: Boop packaging on Behance

This retro neon color palette has the gaudy appeal of the 90s, making it perfect for bold and uninhibited retro designs. Use these colors with either black, white, or grey for maximum effect. They can also be used to add fun illustrations to existing designs!

10. Neon green and pink color palette

Image source: Welly on Behance

This maximalist palette is all about overwhelming the senses. It’s a balance of two cool and warm colors that are both clawing for your visual attention. It’s great for striking packaging design as well as anything in print. It may be slightly overwhelming for most digital mediums!

11. Neon yellow and periwinkle with mint

Image source: Mark Mabey on Behance

The florescent neon yellow mixed with the sweet Pantone peri-winkle creates a surreal color combination. The neon yellow is stabilized by the soft periwinkle, creating an insatiable duo. The dark beige creates some breathing room between the overpowering neon colors.

12. Soft neon gradients

Image source: Fivestarlogo.com

This palette uses gradients and gaussian blurs to create a softer neon look. It’s bold and bright but still dreamy. This palette is great for packaging, and branding, and it’s a website design trend too!

13. Bold pastel blue, yellow, and green

Source: NeuroGen Brain & Spine Institute on Campaignbriefasia.com

Playful and light-hearted, this neon color palette has a surprising mix of neon colors that create a dynamic look. The pink is bright but flat enough to create some stability amongst the potent neon shades.

14. Abstract pink and powder blue

Image source: Arielle Shoshana on Behance

This abstract neon color palette has a supernatural feel to it, with the neon pink and orange being offset by the calming blues. This palette is well balanced and great for the beauty industry, self-care branding, or branded packaging.

15. Purple and yellow neon color palette

Image source: mariannetaylor.co.uk

Exhilarating and soothing, this color palette has a divine balance of energetic yellow and soothing purple. The flaming pink acts as a great accent between the two and adds another layer of excitement to the combo.

16. Creamy peach and yellow

Image source: Natashav.com

Creamy and soft, this neon color palette is refreshing and soothing to look at. These shades work well for branding in the beauty and food industries. It can also work well for colorful digital illustrations and bringing out a bubbly brand personality.

17. Bold and playful pink and teal

Image source: Queeny Manicure on Behance

This neon color palette has unrelenting energy that makes designs look vivacious and striking. It’s exciting to look at, but these shades must be used as accents on a lighter color, like a pale pink or peach.

18. Purple, neon yellow, and orange

Image source: Youthforia on Packagingoftheworld.com

This unapologetic color palette has a unique combination of neon yellow, purple, and orange. It’s fit for a truly experimental design that pushes boundaries. These powerful neon shades should be used as accents together, with the beige as the common ground. This palette is great for beauty industries and brand packaging.

19. Bubbly pink, orange and purple

Image source: Juradastudio.com

Fresh and feminine, this funky color palette is great for color blocking and creating a fun vintage logo. It’s bright, exciting, and has a bubbly personality. It works well for beauty brands, packaging, illustrations, and graphic design art.

20. Psychedelic blue and pink

Image source: Essence on Packagingoftheworld.com

This palette has a psychedelic vibe, with the deep blue and pink creating an ethereal look when mixed with the yellow and orange. When used in the right portions, they can have a striking equilibrium that looks otherworldly.

Brighten up your designs

Neon colors are the perfect way to enliven your designs and add a statement color to your work. If you’re brave and bold and want to make a splash with your designs, neon colors are the way to go.