Website Colors – Empower Yourself with Psychology

Colors matter not only when it comes to daily choices but also in relation to the successful development of your online business. Matching and combining colors in the right way might considerably improve user experience, increase the trust in your brand and also lead to the desired actions and behavior on behalf of your users.

In case you have certain doubts about choosing the right colors when you start developing your online business, pay attention to the messages each shade conveys as it builds the identity of your brand. Each of them influences the audience in a different way and delivers unique semantics.

Let’s first look back at the historical background of color theory so we can get a better idea of the way colors are perceived and the messages they convey.

Color Theory

Colors and their presence in our daily lives determine the way we perceive the world around us. For this very reason colors have been objects of studies for the brightest brains of humankind.

In Classical Antiquity Aristotle claimed there were 7 primary colors. Later Renaissance artists tried to determine the exact order of colors. One of the first theories ever explained the existence of colors as a result of mixing light and darkness as the lightest color was red, the darkest – blue.

The very first serious and scientifically grounded breakthrough in color theory was made by Isaac Newton in the 17th century as he proved that light comprised of different colors. Newton’s famous prism experiment led to the appearance of the visible light specter which nowadays is still studied in classes of physics. This way the prototype of the first circular diagram appeared as colors were divided into light (additive) and primary (subtractive).

Additive colors are “pure”, i.e. they add up to form white light as mixing them makes colors lighter. The color specter of additive colors is bigger and three of them are considered primary – Red, Green and Blue. The first letters of those three colors form the abbreviation RGB. You might already have guessed that monitors work with these primary colors and each design intended to be used for screens is prepared with this color model.

Subtractive colors are the colors of objects around us as mixing them makes colors darker. They are not so various in number as three basic colors can be distinguished amongst them – Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. To make the pallet thicker Black is added there as well. Since black is basic for the printing industry it is called a Key color and the abbreviation CMYK originates from the first letters of these four colors.

 

color-theory

 

There are other color libraries such as Pantone, HKS and RAL that are intended for coloring materials different in nature – from paper to cloth or metal. All these colors use the base model of the four subtractive colors CMYK as they try to go beyond the specter limitations.

 

color-theory

 

What is all this and why it matters for your choice of colors when you start developing your online project?

If you decide that you want your logo to be blue, you need to consider using it not only on the web, but also in printed materials such as business cards or leaflets. If you start with the RGB richer palette you might end up not being able to reproduce the exact same color when printing. Meanwhile if you prepare an image only to be used on screens, will you be able to highlight the colors in a way so that they “shine” on different devices?

What messages colors convey upon building a website?

Your website’s appearance influences greatly your business’ success since it improves brand awareness and leads to considerable traffic increase to your website.

Colors as a part of the graphic design have subconscious influence on user behavior and evoke certain emotions. Let’s take a look what associations some of the basic colors may evoke:

Red – In the digital world more intense colors are suitable for the layout of a culinary blog, a restaurant or winery website since it is proven that dark red palette stimulates appetite. Red is not recommended when designing logos or webpages aiming to aspire trust since it is considered that this color provokes anxiety and aggression.

Оrange – If you wish to stimulate your audience to take certain actions you shall use orange elements and buttons in your website’s design. Orange elements suggest accessibility of service and aspire trust among users.

Yellow – To attract users’ attention over specific content or important information you should definitely choose yellow. You can use it on different banners or boxes to highlight different content of your website.

Green – This color is usually associated with tranquility and reliability. This color is suitable for websites related to ecology and organizations or initiatives related to sustainability. Moreover, green is one of the most common colors in the world of technology since it is a symbol of innovation and a new beginning. The dark green palette is preferred by many financial institutions and websites dealing with currencies. This color is considered to provoke human imagination and creativity.

Blue – This is the color of tranquility and security. Different shades of blue are used in logos and brand identities of some of the most popular social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Behance. Automobile brand logos also count on blue as famous names include Volkswagen, BMW and Ford. In a nutshell, let’s say that blue is a leader among worldwide popular companies with the aim of winning the trust of consumers and persuading them into the high quality of the services offered. Blue is definitely the color of business. The darker the shade, the stronger the feeling of the brand’s stability and reliability.

Tip: Avoid blue when building a culinary website. This color suppresses appetite and blocks the senses responsible for eating.

Purple  – If you are wondering which color to choose when you build a website sellling cosmetics, jewelry or accessories, experiment with the shades of purple. Purple is considered to be a royal color. It is often associated also with religion, mystical experiences and fantasies. Do not use it if you wish to stimulate users through call-to-action buttons.

Pink – In general pink is a symbol of romantics, innocence and youth. It is a suitable choice when designing a personal blog, website selling beauty products, fashion items or cosmetic services. It can also be added as an emphasis in a website for charity cause, therapists or children websites.

Tip: Be moderate when using pink since it can be repulsive for your audience and accepted as a sign of immaturity.

Black – You should be definitely very careful when using this color. We recommend avoiding it when designing websites for health care, finance and nutrition. We cannot ignore the fact that black is preferred by highly luxury fashion brands, the automotive industry and technology products.

White – Despite being related to positive connotations such as perfection, creativity, class, elegance, white is risky because it can easily get boring for your websites’ visitors.

Bonus Tip: Site builder enables you to add the colors you need for designing your website. You can do this only with a few clicks by using the Drag & drop option. Create the desired website quickly and easily!
Why color cognition is important for your business?

Knowing the color theory and models of combination, you can make effective decisions for your business.

This can help you with:

  • constructing the messages, which you send to the consumers;
  • creating a better branding concept for your business;
  • subconsciously influencing on your audience with the right emotions and psychological techniques;
  • substantially improving the customer experience;
  • developing an operating marketing strategy for successful development of your business;
  • understanding how to stand apart from the competition and attract more visitors to your website.

Now you know how important is to take special care when choosing colors, especially when it comes to your business. Keep in mind that colors can be your best friend, as well as your biggest enemy, because they are able to influence the customer behavior.

Knowing the meaning of the colors, you can apply your expertise to your future digital project and transform it to an attractive online destination for your visitors. Site builder has all the necessary tools to make the vision of your website impressive.

Activate your presence on the internet and make your business accessible to everyone in the network, in order to successfully promote your services and be recognized by all of your future customers.

Zvezdelina Georgieva
Zvezdelina Georgieva
By all means - call her SuperZvezdi. With her exquisite taste, Zvezdi adds to any marketing project a touch of grace and aristocracy. Always shoots for the stars and never gives up on constant learning. Zvezdi's SuperPower is her disarming smile that makes the impossible – possible. It won't be a lie if we say she wakes up each morning with the intention of helping others. This makes her a trusted colleague and a wonderful friend.
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