Mixing Colors Into Your Website Design

Color can evoke emotions and influence people in positive—or negative— ways.

Designing a website consists of more than just copy and layout—color also needs to be a consideration. To help choose the correct colors, it is a good idea to come up with how you would like to describe your company. Find colors that you think will best convey the moods or the emotions that you have come up with. You then choose a few of those colors (not too many) that will work together well to use on your website.

There can be usability issues when working with colors, so it is important to take these into account when designing. Color shouldn't define your design, it should add to it. It has actually been suggested (by some) that you design your entire website in grayscale, and then add the color afterward.

To help make sure that those with problems with color can still use your website, try to use these pointers:

• Maintain stark contrast between backgrounds and text
• Use few colors and keep them consistent
• Bright colors are easier on the eyes
• Avoid placing red next to green and blue next to yellow
• Avoid blue for small text
• White can fatigue the eyes (though black text on white is the easiest to read)

Different people see colors in different ways. These colors also have various meanings to different people, but there are some that generally mean the same thing to people (see the Lüscher Color Test). Because of the way humans have set things up (for example, red meaning stop and green meaning go), you should think about what a color will mean during the design process (Thus, be careful of using red on a point of action).

Colors are powerful, and can greatly help your design when used correctly. For help in choosing colors, there are many references that can be used. For some basics, check out Call To Action.

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Filed Under: Colors, Appealing, Personality, Website Design

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