Using Colors Wisely for Website Designs

The use of colors in websites is not just for design purposes. Of course, a well-selected color palette will look good and provide you with the kind of look you desire (i.e. professional and trustworthy, fun and playful, romantic and classy). However, colors can affect the way viewers respond to your website.

Remember, with the number of websites that one can visit, you need to immediately capture the visitor’s interest. As they say, first impressions last. And the right use of color can help in solidifying a potential customer’s opinion about your website and your company.

Here are some insights that can help you use the colors that best fit your website design aesthetics:

• Men and women respond to colors differently. Based on studies, women respond more positively to green, purple and blue but may be put off by the colors brown, gray and orange. Meanwhile, men are more attracted to websites with the colors black, blue and green but may not respond as positively to the colors brown, purple and orange. In additions, men are more attracted to brighter colors while women like softer colors better. Your choice of color palette depends on your target market, whether you want to focus on men, women or both.
• Know how the color wheel works. This tool can help you create your own color palette by combining primary colors (red, blue and yellow), secondary colors (combining two of the primary colors) and tertiary colors (combining a primary color with a secondary color). You can play around with the color wheel, working with colors next to each other, colors and their opposite sides on the color wheel or colors that are equally spaced on the color wheel (also called triadic colors). You can further expand your color palette by using shades (combining a color with black), tint (lightening a color with white) and tone (combining color with gray or black and white). Your color palette will help you determine your website’s dominant color, accent color and background.
• White, black and neutral colors are important, too. These are the colors you can use for your backgrounds and to highlight the use of other, brighter colors. In choosing background colors, it is important to remember your overall goal – do you want to showcase your products or the website itself? A white or neutral background color is aimed towards focusing the attention on the products or the content of the website. With this type of background, the text is more readable and clearer.
• Use color trends with care. For 2016, the hottest color includes rose quartz, serenity and green flash. If you want to be in on the trend, use only one and incorporate it into your palette, preferably as an accent color. The goal is to have a website that will stand the test of time.
• Consider complements and contrast. Complements are about how color relate to other colors, which results in a balance that is visually attractive. Meanwhile, contrast puts the focus of the eye on what you, the designer, would like the reader to see. Usually, this is the text so that it is rendered readable without causing any strain on the eyes.
• Use colors with purpose. Avoid using too much color. As a general rule of thumb, your website should have up to three colors plus a neutral color (for the background). One example of using color with a purpose is to use color for text. Although the text will be black or grey, you can also add some color for words and phrases you want to emphasize, as well as for your call to action text or buttons.
• Play with different colors. Experiment with different colors, particularly for key elements, such as the call to action buttons. Test your colors with a focus group to see which ones are most effective for your target audience.

About Adaptivity Pro

Color and other design elements can be tricky. It often requires someone with the “artistic eye”, who has both the intuitive talent and the technical know-how. This is what Adaptivity Pro offers with its team of graphic designers. These designers also work with the rest of our Utah web design experts – programmers, copywriters and SEO analysts. Aside from these, Adaptivity Pro also offers SLC Social Media Marketing and Pay Per Click Marketing.