| missiveMEDIA :: articles - choosing colour for site design::
The colour of a web site is very important in regards to the impression that is left on a visitor - modern, fresh, corporate, fun, welcoming, cosy. The variations are endless.
Some tips on choosing colour:
- Choose a palette of 4 colors to base the design (varying tones of the same colour can be used to highlight)
- Always use web safe hues for the main design elements , especially if these are going to contain any textual navigation
- Place your chosen colors next to each other in a graphics software program to see if they work together
- Think about the impression you want to give your visitors - do you want your site to look modern, fresh or corporate
- Place the chosen colors next to each other in a graphics software program to see if they work well together
There are several ways that colour can be chosen:
- Look at colours in photos and magazines and in nature and replicate the colours that appeal to you
- Play around with colours in a graphic design package to see what works well for your site
- Take a more scientific approach and get software to choose the most complementary colours for you
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Colour Psychology In order to work out the colours for the site, the psychology of colour needs to be consider - this is how colour makes people feel when they view the colour.
| Colour |
Positive Meaning |
Negative Meaning |
| |
Red symbolises passion, love,
courage, confidence, strong-will, spontaneity, honesty, and extroversion.
Stimulates the appetite, by increasing metabolism |
Symbolises danger, fire, blood, war, agression |
| |
Orange is percieved as happy,
enthusiastic, sociable, energetic, sporty, self-assured, and constructive. Currently used for a lot of sites |
Attention-seeking |
| |
Yellow can symbolise
optimism, good-humour, confidence, practical, and intellectual |
Can also symbolize dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, deceit, illness, hazard |
| |
Pink can symbolise femininity and youth.
Also signifies inspirational leaders, kindly and just, humanitarians, self-sacrifing, visionary, creative, and strong mentally |
Naivity, weakness |
| |
Purple symbolises royalty, spirituality, passion and love. Also signifies
intuition, idealism, fearlessness, practical, wise, and a truth seeker |
Cruelty, arrogance, mourning |
| |
Blue symbolises calm, peaceful, water, sky, harmony, caring, therapeutic, trust, confidence, tact, inspiring, cleanliness, caution and loyalty. Gives people energy. Safe color to use in design |
Sadness, cold, depression, suppresses the appetite. |
| |
Green signifies understanding, self-control, adaptable, sympathetic, compassionate, generous, humble, nature loving, and romantic. Also symbolises good luck and religion |
Also symbolises jealousy, envy and misfortune. See colour-blind issues. Green is not considerd a good colour for packaging. |
| |
Brown is neutral, earthy, outdoors, warm |
Dirty, dull. |
| |
White is symbolic of cleanliness, innocence, space, purity, chastity, simplicity, peace, winter/snow, goodness, marriage/virginial |
Death (in Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile |
| |
Grey /gray can be modern, intelligent, solid, clean. |
Old age, sadness, boring, dull |
| |
Black is associated with power, elegance, magic, mystery, night, sophistication, solid and powerful |
Unhappiness, sadness, remorse, anger, witches (black magic), fear, evil, anonymity, mourning, death (Western cultures) |
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Colour blindness considerations
- Red/green colour combination colour blindness is the most common
- Most colour blind people can't distinguish between shades of red and green
- Shades of these colours appear lighter to colour blind people
- Avoid using only red and green in your design
- Maintain a high contrast between text and background
- Always put "alt" text on graphics
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