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Which colors to use on the website?

03 May 2012

Graphics and content are certainly very important whilst developing a website. However, colors can make or break the look of your website too. It’s the common-known fact that colors can affect people’s mind and emotional state in some way. For instance, some companies are associated with certain sets of colors which have become their brands. Different colors can invoke a wide range of emotions. Many “colorful” idioms refer to people’s emotional reactions. Green is associated with jealousy. Red usually refer to anger. Blue color is supposed to describe something sad… Colors definitely have certain impact on people’s psyche that’s why it’s important to spend some time selecting the most appropriate colors for your company.

Before you start, please review the next characteristic of colors. I believe, it will be helpful and useful to opt for the color scheme of the website. Generally colors are classified as neutral, warm and cool. Let’s specify each group.

Neutral Colors

Whites – white color usually stands for purity. Brides wear white in many countries as white color symbolizes virginity and cleanliness. White also means kindness. In some countries white is the color of death and people wear white clothes to go to the funeral. But usually white color means the light of energy, wholeness and completion.

Browns – brown color stands for home and family. Brown is also associated with earth and material side of the life. Brown is also a stabilizing color which can create a comfortable feeling of the wholeness and naturalness.

Grays – gray color is one of the most popular colors used for the business attire. It exhibits reliability, rigor and conservatism. Sometimes gray color is associated with sorrow and loneliness. Though gray is a truly neutral color which connotes lack of motion, energy, identity. It can have a cooling effect when used next to some other colors.

Blacks – black color symbolizes sophistication and elegance. Black color evokes two opposite emotions which are a fear of the unknown dark desert and enjoyment of resting emptiness where anything can emerge and disappear.

Warm Colors

Yellows – yellow color is full of energy, creativeness and happiness. Sometimes yellow can mean cowardice and weakness.

Oranges – orange color is associated with power, energy and warmth of sun. Sometimes this color symbolizes craving for food.

Pinks –  pink color usually symbolizes innocence, romance and femininity. Pink color is a mixture of white and red. White is the potential for fullness whilst red helps to achieve this potential. Pink color gives a feeling of tenderness, careness, acceptance, spirituality.

Reds – red color is the warmest of all colors. It’s associated with fiery heat, danger, burning, blood. Red color is used to attract attention. This color also symbolized life and vitality and can literally raise people’s blood pressure.

Cool Colors

Greens – green is the color of nature, fertility and life force. Oftentimes green color symbolizes money and wealth. However, in general green color is used to achieve relaxing, well-balanced effect.

Blues – blue color has got a calming effect. It gives a feeling of distance and it’s used by the web designers to show perspective. Blue color exudes trust and reliability. Maybe you’ve noticed that health care and financial institutions mostly use blue color. Blue is a symbol of peace, strength, confidence and health.

Purples – purple color stands for creativity. It’s blending of red and blue. Red is dynamic, active and focusing color whilst blue is cooling and calming. Being a combination of the coolest and the warmest colors purple is supposed to be the ideal color.

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