The right colors can make or break a design. 

And in packaging? The right color combination doesn't help just with aesthetics but also consumer psychology, brand perception, and regulatory compliance.  

Bad color choices can make your product less visible on the supermarket shelves, harder to read, or even land you in legal trouble.

Poor color combinations can cause major problems, including:

• Shelf invisibility: Your product gets overlooked in the supermarkets.

• Unreadable labels: You have frustrated customers, or in the worst case, face a compliance violation.

• Brand dilution: Your customer gets confused.

• Launch delays: Reworking artwork late in the NPD cycle.

Whether you're a packaging designer, NPD manager, or regulatory affairs professional, understanding which color combinations to avoid can save time, money, and reputation.

In this article, we'll take a look at 7 colors that don’t go together and how you can avoid using these combinations in your packaging design.

Why color combinations matter in packaging

When selecting colors for packaging, there are 4 main questions to ask yourself.

• Visual impact: How can this packaging stand out on crowded shelves?

• Consumer psychology: Can it influence buying behavior in any way?

• Regulatory compliance: Does the copy (and the critical information on the label) meet legibility standards?

• Accessibility: Have we accounted for color-blind consumers and inclusive design?

Poor choices affect everything from customer trust to legal approvals. This is why paying early attention to color combinations is essential.

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A note before we begin:

While certain color combinations are generally riskier in packaging design, every project is different. With the right shades, contrast, and execution, even traditionally "bad" pairings can work beautifully.

The goal of this guide is not to discourage creative risk-taking, but to highlight common challenges that can impact readability, compliance, and consumer perception, especially in highly-regulated industries.

Always test your designs thoroughly and adjust for real-world conditions to make informed color decisions.

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7 worst color combinations to avoid

1. Yellow and green

Yellow and green are two of the most popular colors in the world. They might seem like a fresh, energetic pairing but in packaging, they can cause some problems.

Their low contrast, especially under retail lighting, can make important text, icons, or regulatory information difficult to read.

This can be a red flag for compliance teams as contrast failures can lead to proofs being rejected or regulatory reviews delayed.

If you must pair these colors, use a deep, saturated green against a soft yellow background, and rely on bold, dark typography to maintain visibility.

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2. Brown and orange

Brown and orange are both earthy tones, but together they can create a muted, muddy look that fails to catch the consumer’s eye.

On crowded shelves filled with bright competitors, your product may simply disappear. In sectors like food or cosmetics, where shelf appeal drives sales, that’s a costly mistake.

Instead, balance these tones with lighter neutrals like cream or beige to keep the design natural but lively, and ensure that important product details stand out clearly.

3. Red and green

While red and green together is great for Christmas vibes, they present serious accessibility challenges.

Consumers with red-green color blindness may struggle to differentiate critical information when these colors are used together. This can violate inclusive design principles now emphasized by regulatory bodies in markets like the EU and Canada.

To make this combination work, maintain strong lightness contrast between the two, and incorporate clear iconography or patterns that don't rely on color alone for meaning.

4. Neon Colors Together (e.g., Neon Pink and Neon Green)

Neon shades are bold and exciting! But when combined, they compete aggressively for attention.

This visual noise can obscure essential information like warnings, dosage instructions, or ingredient lists, frustrating consumers and posing risks in regulated sectors like pharmaceuticals or food.

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5. Purple and yellow

Although purple and yellow are complementary on the color wheel, when placed side-by-side, they can create a vibrating optical effect that strains the eye and makes reading difficult.

If using these colors, separate them thoughtfully across different zones of the packaging. For example, use one for background and the other for small accent elements rather than layering text directly over a contrasting background.

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6. Red and purple

Both red and purple are intense, saturated colors, and when used together without balance, they clash visually. This may weaken visual hierarchy for the consumer, making it harder to locate critical information like ingredients, safety warnings, or claims.

To handle strong colors like these, establish clear hierarchy with differences in size, spacing, and brightness, ensuring your design directs the consumer’s eye naturally.

7. Black and Navy 

Black and navy are both dark, deep hues that, when used together, can blur into a nearly indistinguishable mass under typical store lighting. Fine print, disclaimers, and mandatory label elements (which are usually printed in small sizes) can easily become unreadable, putting your packaging at risk of failing compliance audits.

To solve this, use high-contrast pairings: layer dark colors with crisp white, metallic accents, or lighter shades to maintain clarity, readability, and visual structure.

How can you avoid using these bad color combinations?

Here are five best practices that can help you build packaging that stands out for all the right reasons:

1.  Conduct color contrast and accessibility testing early

Color contrast is one of the most common reasons packaging artwork gets flagged during compliance reviews. Poor contrast between text and background can make critical information hard to read, risking non-compliance with FDA, EU, and other labeling standards.

Testing contrast early not only safeguards against compliance risks, but also saves time, reduces rework, and keeps NPD timelines on track.

2. Leverage color psychology thoughtfully

Color evokes emotion. But in packaging, emotion should support readability and clarity, not compete with it.

Use color psychology strategically:

• Blues and greens can convey trust, health, and sustainability.
• Yellows and oranges can suggest energy and excitement.
• Neutrals and dark colors seem sophisticated and serious.

However, always prioritize functionality over flair: even the most emotionally powerful colors need to work with typography, contrast ratios, and regulatory guidelines.

3. Work with a limited color palette

An expansive palette can make artwork chaotic and create more opportunities for compliance errors.

Smart packaging teams stick to pre-approved, limited color systems that have already been validated for accessibility, printing consistency, and regulatory standards.

Finalizing color palettes early in the NPD cycle keeps brand identity strong, simplifies proofing, speeds up regulatory approvals, and reduces the risk of costly last-minute changes.

Even when expanding a product line, adapt your palette thoughtfully. New SKUs shouldn't break visual or regulatory coherence.

4. Collaborate early with other stakeholders

Color choice is a cross-functional responsibility when it comes to packaging design.

Designers, NPD managers, and regulatory affairs teams should align on color requirements during the earliest artwork concept stages, not after designs are almost final.

• Designers ensure the packaging is attractive and on-brand.
• NPD managers ensure that manufacturing, material selection, and launch timelines are realistic.
• RA teams validate that color combinations meet all legibility and labeling standards.

Centralized platforms like Artwork Flow make this collaboration seamless by allowing live annotations, automated proofing, and instant compliance checks.

Early collaboration not only prevents costly reworks but also helps with faster approvals and smoother product launches.

5. Simulate real world retail conditions

What looks good on a digital screen might behave very differently under store lighting. Colors can appear darker, cooler, or washed out depending on whether the product sits under fluorescent supermarket lights, warm boutique lighting, or daylight.

During design reviews, simulate how your packaging will appear in different retail conditions:

• Check for color contrast loss.
• Evaluate legibility at a distance.
• Validate whether emotional impact (trust, excitement, luxury) still holds true.

These simulations are especially important for industries like food, beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, where clear communication is essential for safety and satisfaction.

Final thoughts

Bad color combinations in packaging aren't just an aesthetic misstep. They can risk your product launch, damage brand reputation, and cause costly regulatory issues.

By making strategic color choices early, supported by smart tools and cross-team collaboration, packaging designers, NPD managers, and regulatory affairs teams can deliver packaging that delights consumers, satisfies regulatory bodies, and wins at the shelf.

Use artwork proofing tools and artwork management software like Artwork Flow to simplify compliance and design reviews and get your products to market faster, with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. What colors don’t go together?

Colors that clash or have low contrast can create visual interpretation or make content difficult to read. Some classic examples of color combinations that don't go well together include:

1. Yellow and green
2. Brown and orange
3. Red and green
4. Neo and neon
5. Purple and yellow
6. Red and purple
7. Black and navy

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2. How can bad color combinations affect readability?

Bad color combinations can reduce readability by blending the text into the background or creating too much visual noise. Here’s how:

• Low contrast: Light text on a light background (e.g., yellow on white) or dark text on a dark background makes it hard for people to distinguish elements.
• Clashing colors: Colors that are vibrant, like red and blue, or bright neons, can cause eye strain and make it uncomfortable to read.
• Extra bold colors: Using too many bright colors together can overwhelm the reader, making it difficult for the eye to focus on the content.

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3. What colors go together well?

Certain color combinations create visual harmony and are more pleasing to the viewer’s eye:

• Complementary colors: Colors that are on the opposite slides of the color wheel pair well. E.g., blue and orange, purple and yellow, red and green.
• Monochromatic schemes: Various shades of one color, like light to dark blue. It balances the subtle and conventional color combination giving a harmonious look.
• Analogous colors: Colors next to each other on the color wheel, like green, blue-green, and blue. To prevent this from becoming overwhelming, select one dominant color, and use the others as accents.

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4. What colors do not go with purple?

You should avoid pairing purple with bold colors such as bright orange and red. It can make the space look overwhelming.

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