When users visit a website, colors are among the first elements that instantly draw their attention. With a strategic use of colors, a website design can attract its intended audience and achieve its objectives.
However, a website designer takes into account color psychology as a tool to create a website with a purpose. A good understanding of color psychology enables designers to convey information strategically. It is also a way for designers to create moods and make a lasting impression on visitors.
What is color psychology in web design?
Color psychology is a branch of psychological studies that examines how the brain processes visual information about colour. This field of study informs us about the impact of colors on human behavior and actions.
So, color psychology in web design is about building visually engaging web pages. Since each color is associated with a specific set of emotions, designers use psychological principles to evoke the intended emotions in website visitors.
A website designer should consider color psychology when selecting colors that evoke the desired emotions. The designer should pick the colors that have an impact on the visitors’ behavior.
How do humans respond to colors?
All humans react to colors in a manner that has been consistent for millions of years, throughout various phases of evolution. However, their reactions to colors also depend on their different cultures and civilizations.
Take white, for example. In Western cultures, white is often regarded as a color of purity and celebration. That’s why white is commonly worn during weddings. In Eastern cultures, however, white is often associated with mourning and grief. Therefore, “white” has a different meaning in the two cultures.
A web designer, therefore, takes into account the target audience’s culture when choosing colors. Since a website is accessible worldwide, the designer should carefully select universally acceptable colors.
Therefore, web designers should be aware of how modern humans perceive colors, so that a website can effectively target its audience without offending their cultural sensitivities.
Color harmony in web design
When colors are arranged in a particular order, we build a perception about what is presented to us. That is also true for the use of colors in web design. Building harmony among colors allows website visitors to view the information in a clear and organized manner.
Color harmony is all about saving a design from chaos and giving it a sense of order. Colour harmony refers to the thoughtful arrangement of colors.
With the harmony ensured, a web design will appear more professional. This helps build trust in the website and its offerings. An orderly use of colors, which is a color scheme, also gives a website a polished look.
Analogous color scheme
An analogous color scheme uses neighboring colors on the color wheel. For instance, yellow and yellow-green, or green, are neighboring colors on the wheel. Blue, blue-green, and green are other examples of color schemes. With color schemes, you can create a cohesive web design.
Complementary colors
A complementary color scheme features colors chosen from the opposite ends of the color wheel. These colors are not from the same shade of color. Therefore, they stand out from each other. With such colors, your website design will stand out and appear unique due to the color contrast. Opposing colors instantly catch the eye and help create a distinctive brand identity for web pages.
Triadic colors
On the color wheel, colors that are evenly spaced are known as triadic colors. When considering this color scheme, know that there are four triadic color schemes, e.g., Orange + Green + Violet, Red + Yellow + Blue, etc.
Using colors in the cultural context
Web designers should consider the cultural context when incorporating colors into their web pages. Each color has its meaning derived from different backgrounds. Here is what the colors from the color wheel represent:
Red
Red is often associated with colors evoking aggression, violence, passion, authority, and romance. Most cultures associate these emotions with red. The color can evoke a sense of urgency and action. That makes red an ideal choice to draw attention at a glance. That is why most CTA buttons on websites are red.
Yellow
Yellow is the color of sunshine and spring flowers. Most cultures view yellow as a joyous and noble color. Web designers can use yellow to evoke positive emotions and optimism.
Pink
Pink is often associated with femininity, motherhood, and LGBTQ+ identity. Overall, the color represents gentle love and a sense of softness. It also stands for passion. Use pink in your web design only when you intend to evoke such feelings for your brand.
Black
While most cultures associate black with mourning, web designers use it to give web pages an elegant appearance. Most minimalist web designs feature an extensive use of black to provide a clean, neutral backdrop.
Green
Green is the color of growth. That is why most brands associated with the environment and health use green in their websites and brand promotion. The color also evokes a sense of tranquillity and freshness.
Blue
Blue represents calmness. However, it is also a color of authority, which is why many police uniforms feature blue. Use blue in web design to evoke authority and calmness.
Picking the right colors for web design
Color psychology can help web designers strategically select colors that align well with a brand’s personality and user preferences. Designers can utilize psychology to strategically incorporate colors into website pages.
Choose colors that align with your brand personality
If the designer includes colors without considering their psychological impact, it will lead the design nowhere. It can even damage the brand’s reputation. For example, using blue or green can harm your website if these colors are not suitable for your brand. Similarly, if your website conveys a formal tone, using warmer colors like orange will not reflect the brand message and personality.
Think of those colors that align with your brand personality. Incorporating those colors into your website design will ensure consistency with the colors that your promotional campaigns have already used. Your website should have the same color scheme that you adopted for your promotional campaigns and social media platforms.
Research your competitors
Researching your competitors’ use of colors will help you identify which color combinations to avoid. Using your competitors’ colors will leave a negative impression of your website and business on your target audience. Therefore, research your competitors to determine which colors you should avoid.
Then, find out the right combo of colors that helps your website stand out from your competitors’. Experiment with unconventional color schemes and hues to make a lasting impression in your target market.
Test to refine your color scheme
When choosing a color scheme, do not pick it just because it stands out. Instead, test its potential to capture the attention of your target audience and drive traffic to your website.
Test the color scheme several times until you are fully satisfied with it. You can use A/B testing to ensure that your final color combination choice is just perfect. The testing will help pinpoint a combination of colors that best represent your brand’s values and personality.
Incorporating colors in your web design
Now that you have finally chosen a color combination for your website design, ensure that the colors appear consistently across every web page. From the homepage to navigation menus, the colors should be consistent across all website touchpoints. Here are some tips:
Keep the 60-30-10 rule in mind, which involves using 60% primary colors, 30% secondary colors, and 10% accent colors.
When designing a CTA, use contrasting colors.
Background colors should complement your chosen color scheme
Colors should build a visual hierarchy for easier navigation
Draw different sections of website pages using colors
Images and graphics should also align with your color scheme.
Consider white space to create some blank space and give your eyes a rest.
These are the key points to consider when using color psychology to incorporate colors into your website design. Ensure that you test several color combinations to determine which one best reflects your brand’s personality and message.
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Wrapping Up
When designing a website, color psychology plays a crucial role in determining its visual appearance. Most importantly, it helps convey a brand’s message and personality with a purpose. Repeated testing of different color combinations further enhances the chances of creating a website that best represents its personality.