A Fast Lesson about Using Color Schemes in Website Design

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Even Beginners Can Make Their Website More Powerful with Color Schemes

Maybe you are new to this web design course lesson and just want to put your favorite colour on your new site. Beginners many times don't take this powerful tool into consideration. This is why the lesson is about using color schemes and what the colors mean and feel like.

Color schemes are enthralling for the artist, important to the home decorator, and imperative for the website designer and builder. Color schemes are also fascinating to study--in terms of effectiveness, appeal, and psychological impact. Further, in the commercial environment, color and color schemes are crucial.

The Power of Color in Design and Other Schemes

Numerous experts and professionals have studied the effects of color in particular (and color schemes in general) as it relates to dieting and appetite, moods, desires, and the sense of well-being. And, of course, those same experts have examined color schemes and dynamics in advertising, in branding (identity), and in product and service creation, all of which have a common goal--to determine the impact on consumers.

Finding a Color Scheme that Sells

As the superb color.com, colormatters.com, and firelily.com experts will tell us, colors need to

1. send the right message, taking into consideration who the receiver of that message is—what his/her age, ethnicity, income level, social and other inclinations, and personal preferences are, for instance.

2. be complimentary, or work in conjunction with other colors to establish desirable, rather than off-putting results—to be alluring.

3. be accessible to the greater community of viewers (or users), the advertisers taking into consideration how many consumers have sight- or color-impaired issues (color deficiencies), how many have browsers and computer systems that are not as capable to “read” color schemes and other image attributes.

4. represent (literally, figuratively, directly, indirectly) the intended results, appealing to a need, warning, supporting, informing, pleasing, etc..

5. work toward the intended goal, which is to create a psychological result that is positive.

Color Schemes Evoke Feelings

No matter if colors are used in a living room, a therapist’s office, or a set of Internet web pages, color schemes will have specific emotional and/or intellectual impact. Here are some of the common colors and how they reflect the emotionally charged psychological makeup of people.

RED

You may have heard that red cars get hit often, or that of all colored cars, red ones get pulled over most often by law enforcement officers. Yes, in some cultures, red is fast, hot, passionate. In others it is lucky, used in warning, indicates power, or is used as a stimulant.

ORANGE

Orange is warm, energetic, happy. Orange is also stimulating, often used in fast food restaurant color schemes (to stimulate hunger) and in places where conversation is invited. Last I read, orange was a new hot color for website design (2000s), but only in certain amounts and used in combination with the ever-popular blue (which is a number one color for American sites, of course).

BLACK

The color black evokes a feeling of power or control. It can also reveal a sense of boldness.

YELLOW

Yellow is (or can be) loud, warm, or repellant. At 24-hour stores, for instance, you might see the outside lights are an obnoxious yellow—used to discourage loitering. But the right yellow, used in the appropriate amounts, suggests, of course, sunshine and all that is delightful.

GREEN

The first color in nature, green is growth. Green can be used for warmth or for calm and cooling effects at the same time, depending upon the shade and the complimentary colors used with it. It is positive. It is forward-pointing. It also, in particular cultures, is money.

BLUE

Blue is the least likely color in nature, with very few edible foods occurring naturally, that is. So blue has been found to be an appetite suppressant. You shouldn't gain any weight reading about website design and colors on this page.

At the same time, blue is also a tranquilizing color, one you might find in libraries, therapist’s offices, and the like. Of course, as one of the three colors of the USA, blue is one of the most-often-used colors on American websites, but more, blue is the most often used color on all websites collectively—across all cultural divides.

VIOLET

If you know Prince, the pop singer, you know purple is symbolic of royalty. As well, like green, violet is found in abundance in the natural environment and also like green, is a combination of cool and warm hues, making for a versatile and positive appearance.

Taking into consideration preferences of cultures, ages, color-viewing abilities, and genders (with men preferring bright and light colors and women opting for pastel and subdued colors, for instance), designing a website with colors and schemes in mind is no small task, but is achievable, after some attention to the studies and results.

Now that you've learned more about using colors from the lesson above, you can get a general idea of the HTML color schemes that might work well in your paticular web design plan. There are many variations of colors, so try and get the right ones for your site before learning HTML website design. A great color scheme along with valuable content can help turn visitors into paying customers.

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