We have already gone through the important points to be noted for the development of a website- Design,Technical, Content and Quality guidelines. Now, let me share with you something interesting and different. i.e., choosing the right color combination to your website. The color scheme you choose for your website is as important as the content and design.
![]()
As we all know, each color has its own effect on us, physically and mentally. Some studies have proved that red color has very strong impact on us. It can even raise your blood pressure. It is interesting that in Casinos, they use red lights because people gamble more in red light!! But, blue color is having the opposite effect; it calms down our mind. So, we can conclude that there exist particular emotions and meanings associated with each color. But certain colors represent opposite emotions. For example, black color represents power & strength as well as evil & depression. Any way, I personally don’t prefer black color ;-)
Is this the only reason for choosing the right color scheme to your website?? There are some more things to be considered.
•Creating Brand Awareness: Many companies already have their own color patterns and schemes. So, while developing a website, it is better to use the same color scheme. This can build up good brand awareness.
•Website Type: This is a major factor to decide the exact color combination. Suppose you are developing website for a business, website may be blue or white. Green color is also preferable for businesses/ corporate as it represents power and money.
•Who visits your website: If your target audience is young and vibrant, you may use red, orange etc. Suppose your website is more visited by senior citizens or those with vision troubles, better you go for grey or black& white color pattern. Colors are preferred according to gender also. Thus, men tend to prefer blue and orange to red and yellow, while women prefer red to blue and yellow to orange.
Some Facts and Studies
There are colors associated with shopping!! It is said that certain colors make people react differently while shopping. So, this can be taken under consideration while building an E-commerce website. Normal people respond better to sky blue, pink etc. Those who insist on budget while shopping will like teal, navy and pink. But, impulse buyers tend to respond to blue, black, red-orange etc. Also, free yourself from prejudices: if you are addressing to women, do not automatically employ pink.
![]()
If your website addresses an audience larger than your country of origin or it is meant to attract prospects from a specific country, research the specific meanings of colors in different nations. White is considered as color of peace in Western countries, but it stands for unhappiness in China, Japan and India. Pink is very much appreciated in Japan, but is considered as non-manly color in India. It is up to you to obtain creative colors that will be internationally accepted, but you have to do your homework quite well.
Your website can be hard to read, making visitors to become uncomfortable and close the page altogether. First of all, the text color should stand out from the background color. If the text color doesn’t contrast with background color, it will be unreadable.
Use a natural palette of colors.
They are more pleasing than any of their artificial counterparts. You may start with say, three base colors that are related or similar and those don’t contrast with each other and two colors that contrast with the base colors. Then, adjust the brightness, hue, or saturation of color to get the best combination that works best for your website.
![]()
Now you might have realized the importance of color scheme in websites. Take enough time to choose the right color combination that conveys your company’s brand, goal and message. Choosing a wrong schema has its own negative impact on your website. So, what I wish to tell you is just break the rules and think out of the box! Don’t be afraid to use any color combination, which you think can produce positive color.
Meaning of Colors
![]()
•Red: energy, passion, excitement, power, aggression, danger.
•Blue: coolness, spirituality, freedom, patience, loyalty, trustworthiness, sadness, depression.
•Yellow: light, optimism, happiness, brightness, joy.
•Green: life, naturalness, restfulness, health, wealth, prosperity, decay, toxicity.
•Orange: friendliness, warmth, approachability, energy, playfulness, courage.
•Violet: wisdom, sophistication, celebration.
•White: purity, cleanliness, youth, freshness, peace.
•Black: power, elegance, secrecy, mystery, evil.
•Gray: security, maturity, reliability.
•Pink: romance a feminine color.
•Brown: comfort, strength, stability, credibility.![]()
As we all know, each color has its own effect on us, physically and mentally. Some studies have proved that red color has very strong impact on us. It can even raise your blood pressure. It is interesting that in Casinos, they use red lights because people gamble more in red light!! But, blue color is having the opposite effect; it calms down our mind. So, we can conclude that there exist particular emotions and meanings associated with each color. But certain colors represent opposite emotions. For example, black color represents power & strength as well as evil & depression. Any way, I personally don’t prefer black color ;-)
Is this the only reason for choosing the right color scheme to your website?? There are some more things to be considered.
•Creating Brand Awareness: Many companies already have their own color patterns and schemes. So, while developing a website, it is better to use the same color scheme. This can build up good brand awareness.
•Website Type: This is a major factor to decide the exact color combination. Suppose you are developing website for a business, website may be blue or white. Green color is also preferable for businesses/ corporate as it represents power and money.
•Who visits your website: If your target audience is young and vibrant, you may use red, orange etc. Suppose your website is more visited by senior citizens or those with vision troubles, better you go for grey or black& white color pattern. Colors are preferred according to gender also. Thus, men tend to prefer blue and orange to red and yellow, while women prefer red to blue and yellow to orange.
Some Facts and Studies
There are colors associated with shopping!! It is said that certain colors make people react differently while shopping. So, this can be taken under consideration while building an E-commerce website. Normal people respond better to sky blue, pink etc. Those who insist on budget while shopping will like teal, navy and pink. But, impulse buyers tend to respond to blue, black, red-orange etc. Also, free yourself from prejudices: if you are addressing to women, do not automatically employ pink.
If your website addresses an audience larger than your country of origin or it is meant to attract prospects from a specific country, research the specific meanings of colors in different nations. White is considered as color of peace in Western countries, but it stands for unhappiness in China, Japan and India. Pink is very much appreciated in Japan, but is considered as non-manly color in India. It is up to you to obtain creative colors that will be internationally accepted, but you have to do your homework quite well.
Your website can be hard to read, making visitors to become uncomfortable and close the page altogether. First of all, the text color should stand out from the background color. If the text color doesn’t contrast with background color, it will be unreadable.
Use a natural palette of colors.
They are more pleasing than any of their artificial counterparts. You may start with say, three base colors that are related or similar and those don’t contrast with each other and two colors that contrast with the base colors. Then, adjust the brightness, hue, or saturation of color to get the best combination that works best for your website.
Now you might have realized the importance of color scheme in websites. Take enough time to choose the right color combination that conveys your company’s brand, goal and message. Choosing a wrong schema has its own negative impact on your website. So, what I wish to tell you is just break the rules and think out of the box! Don’t be afraid to use any color combination, which you think can produce positive color.
Meaning of Colors
•Blue: coolness, spirituality, freedom, patience, loyalty, trustworthiness, sadness, depression.
•Yellow: light, optimism, happiness, brightness, joy.
•Green: life, naturalness, restfulness, health, wealth, prosperity, decay, toxicity.
•Orange: friendliness, warmth, approachability, energy, playfulness, courage.
•Violet: wisdom, sophistication, celebration.
•White: purity, cleanliness, youth, freshness, peace.
•Black: power, elegance, secrecy, mystery, evil.
•Gray: security, maturity, reliability.
•Pink: romance a feminine color.
•Brown: comfort, strength, stability, credibility.
