Color is a very powerful tool in website design. Attracting attention, expressing meaning, creating desire, directing conversation – all of this and more can be achieved through intelligent and strategic use of color. Just like the layout and tone of your language, the color your visitors see on your website determines how they feel about it and whether or not they will return.
What makes color important for website design
Colors help increase your brand recognition and also prompt your site visitors to take action. Any judgments they subconsciously make about your brand may be based on the color palette of your site. Therefore, when a website design company first sits down to design your website, they first consider 2 things: the emotions your brand wants to evoke and the philosophies and cultural contexts you want to align with. This is the first step in making meaningful color decisions in website design.
1. Color psychology: colors awaken emotions
Color psychology refers to the effect that colors can have on a person's emotions, feelings, and behaviors. While the rules here aren't set in stone, people are drawn in part to certain colors because of how they make them feel. The context here is very important. Red can mean fear and danger to some, and passion and excitement to others. When color is used in website design, it should integrate seamlessly with all other elements of the site: typography, text, and images.
Here are some colors and their associated emotions. Again, although not set in stone, these are general associations and have a genuine influence on the audience. This should help you choose colors based on how you want your audience to feel and what actions you want them to take.
- RED : power, love, danger, passion, excitement.
- Orange : fun, warmth, comfort, freedom, joy
- Blanco : peace, clarity, purity, cleanliness.
- BLUE : calm, competence, confidence, peace, reliability, logic.
- Purple : luxury, sophistication, mystery, loyalty, creativity
- Pink : gentleness, sincerity, care, warmth.
- Verde : health, nature, prosperity, abundance.
- Brown : nature, protection, security, support.
- Yellow : happiness, creativity, optimism, kindness.
- Black : elegance, control, power, sophistication, depression.
2. Cultural Context
While different colors can have different meanings to different people, sometimes colors also have cultural meaning. In many Western countries, black is associated with death and mourning, while the same color is white in many Eastern countries. Similarly, the color red is associated with attention and urgency in Western cultures, while many Eastern cultures associate it with luck. Context is essential for color selection. Often, you may want to choose your brand colors based on the market you want to target. Depending on where your market is based, the colors on your website can send very different messages.
Of course, this is not necessarily the case, especially when it comes to significantly large and popular brands whose images are already ingrained in our general psyche. The red of Coca Cola or KFC, for example, will generally no longer carry negative connotations considering how popular and well-known they are.
Basics of color theory
Color theory is a set of principles that are useful in understanding and creating complementary color palettes and combinations. These fundamental principles can really help you create a palette that fits your brand's exact needs.
- Primary colors : These are 3 in number: red, blue and yellow.
- Secondary colours - They are created by mixing primary colors: green (yellow + blue), orange (yellow + red) and purple (blue + red).
- Tertiary colors – They are combinations created by mixing primary and secondary colors.
– Tints, Shades, Tones – All the colors mentioned above are called “pure colors”. However, these colors can be worked further to create additional ones. Create tints by adding white to pure colors, making them lighter and less intense. You create shadows by adding shadows to them, making the colors heavier and more intense. It uses both white and black to varying degrees to create tones from pure colors.
- Contrast : Contrast is the perceived difference between two colors when placed next to each other. The greater the contrast, the more two colors stand out from each other. This is a very important principle, as different levels of contrast can create a world of difference on your website. Colored text on a low-contrast background can cause readability problems. Contrast can also draw attention to specific elements (or even draw attention away from specific elements if used wisely) on your web page and make them stand out visually.
color models
In graphic design, colors are also described using color models. This is because there are millions of colors and it is impossible to name them all separately. These standards were created to allow us to easily describe colors using values.
– RGB model - This is the model used when working with on-screen layouts. RGB stands for red, green and blue. Each of these colors is assigned a value that ranges from 0 to 255, and the different combinations bring us the different colors. Colors are often presented as color codes: 6-digit hexadecimal code numbers. It is an “additive” color model.
– CMYK model - This model is used for printing purposes. It represents cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and each color is described by its percentage of these constituent colors. It is a “subtractive” color model.
– LAB model : LAB means Lightness, A Channel and B Channel. It is a slightly more complex model. It consists of a luminosity factor that goes from 0 to 100, an A component on the green-red axis and a B component on the blue-yellow axis. This makes color description much closer to human approximation compared to RGB or CMYK models.
Creating color palettes
The first color you choose for your website is the main color of your brand (Red for Coca Cola, for example). This is where color psychology becomes particularly useful. Use color depending on the emotions and personality you want to convey. After that, create a color palette by choosing colors harmonized with your base color. This is where a color wheel comes into play.
- Wheel Color: The color wheel is a tool used to show the relationship between colors. It is basically an abstract illustration that arranges various shades of color in a circle.
With the help of a color wheel, there are 5 main types of color palettes you can create:
- Pallette Analogous: Analogous colors are placed next to each other on a color wheel. They have a low contrast between each other and fit together well providing a subtle effect.
– Monochromatic palette : These palettes are based on a single color that stands out, combined with elements of different shades and shades. This palette can be very pleasing to the eye. However, to avoid a monotonous feel, it might be a good idea to include complementary and even contrasting color elements on the web page.
– Triad palette - This palette uses 3 colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. This technique should be used wisely, not only to choose colors that work well together, but also to use them in a way that doesn't look too messy and noisy.
– Complementary palette - This palette uses colors from opposite ends of the color wheel. This can be used effectively to create high-contrast artistic styles that draw attention to specific sections of your web page.
-Split complementary palette – This palette is similar to the complementary palettes, but with an additional color that is placed next to one of the complementary colors on the color wheel. When used wisely, this style is effective in creating a more natural look without too much noise.
Useful tools for inspiration
Inspiration for new color palettes can be found everywhere, from rival websites to nature and the outdoors. It also helps you stay up to date on the latest brand trends. Here are some useful tools that can help you get started with new color ideas right away.
- Pinterest - Pinterest has an impressive number of color palette ideas created by various designers from around the world. These can serve as a great source of inspiration.
–Pantone - Pantone is the industry leader in the field of color. It uses a physical color index that identifies all types of shades of all separate colors. All the latest color trends in design and fashion usually come from Pantone.
– Outlining creation websites Color – There are numerous dedicated color sites for designers to help you make color combinations and explore between palettes any way you want. This is a great way to experiment and create new palettes yourself. Websites like Adobe Color Wheel , ColorCollective y Design Seeds They are great for instant inspiration.
While color alone is not the most important thing in website design, it surely plays an important role. When used correctly, the colors you represent can become an identifier for your brand. With the tips and tricks mentioned above, you should have no problem strategically using color in your website design to best effect.
