Color in Web Design

Have you ever come across a site where you thought, why did they use those colors?

With most modern displays rendering over 16,000,000 colors with a limitless number of color combinations, it is no surprise that, during the design process, many of my clients struggle with deciding on a color palette for their web site. Choosing a color palette is not simple.

As you contemplating colors for your site decide on your base color first (i.e. blue, black, red, green, purple, etc...). When choosing your base color consider that color has personality.

Red can stimulate adrenaline. It is an exciting, rich color and is associate with passion. However the darker shades of red, such as a burgundy or maroon denotes luxury and often used in promoting wine or fine living. The more earthy shade of red are associate with harvest and fall.

Green is often associate with nature as it symbolizes freshness or growth. However when green is set against a dark or black background it can five the color more of a “techy” feel.

Blues are calming colors. It symbolizes openness, intelligence and faith. However, blues can also reduce appetite and thus it is not a good color choice for promoting food.

Yellow is a bright and active color. It is associated with energy and happiness. Too much yellow can be overpowering.

Orange is also a very active and energetic color. Orange stimulates metabolism and appetite it is often a good color choice when promoting food. Orange is an informal color and is not used very often in corporate sites.

Purple has been typically associated with royalty, wealth and power. It is also one of the least used colors on the web so it will stand out.

White is a clean color and is associate with purity, perfection or light.

Black has negative connotations, associated with evil and death. On the other hand, it can be associate with strength and power.

There is no wrong color choice but to ensure that your site’s colors have good harmony, choose a color palette based on one of the tried and true color theories (i.e. monochromatic, triad, analogous, etc...).