It’s Not Just You—the Neon Glow of “Terminal Green” Really Is Ubiquitous

It’s not just you, neon green really is everywhere right now. In the latest installment of Spotted, our new column about the graphic design trends we just can’t shake, we look at an acid shade of green, otherwise known as “terminal green.” From book covers, to posters, to magazines, the color is having a veritable moment—and we’re not hating it.

The most unnatural version of the world’s most natural color comes in a variety of hues: battery acid, leaves on the edge of fall yellow-green, and deeper, flatter hues that have just a pop of brightness. People like Michael Bierut are using a subdued version on book covers. Magazines like Bloomberg Businessweek and No Man’s Land are going all-in on an eye-searing versions. Celebrities everywhere are looking like glowsticks at a rave

So why, decades after it first graced the cathode ray tube monitors of early computers, is terminal green back? 

We could blame it on its techno-nostalgic undertones, but the answer is actually much simpler than that. Neon green, believe it or not, is really good at capturing your attention. And in today’s cacophonous visual landscape, that’s worth a lot. The turn-your-stomach shade of green is able to cut through the daily bombardment in a way that still somehow feels tasteful and cool. As designer Sarah Boris, who used it for the cover of Touch Wood, puts it: “If neon green helps us get the message across, then it’s a winner.”

Read more about the rise of terminal green. And for more trend news, click over to our analysis of “liquid metal.”

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