Color Saturation in Fall Colors

Autumn includes all sorts of clip art filled with vibrant warm colors like red, yellow, and orange. Often, fall clip art is filled with saturated colorful variations of these colors, such as marigold and pumpkin orange. Such colors make the art warm and vibrant.

However, vibrant autumn colors can sometimes miss the mood of the season. Fall heralds the beginning of darker days with more muted, desaturated colors. As a result, using more muted reds, oranges, and yellows can sometimes better match the mood of autumn.

To better understand the visual impact of the saturation level of fall colors, we examined our clip art catalog. We identified hundreds of pieces of clip art that featured fall leaves, mostly on trees. Looking at their primary colors, we found variability in the saturation level, where some pieces are bright and colorful while others are muted and subdued.

Choosing the right autumn palette is essential for conveying the right mood for your fall-themed projects.