The Meaning of Colors for Designs
April 15th, 2009 by The Meaning of Colors for Designs
In this and the subsequent post, I will discuss the meaning and significance of color and how the psychology of color affects your website. Moreover, I will submit a list of simple tips to improve the use of color in your site. As I have articulated many times before, an exceptionally eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing page is essential in world of web development. One method to make your website more visually appealing is to have an appropriate color scheme that is utilizes just the right amount and variation of color to clearly express the purpose, the personality, and the meaning of your site.
While the meaning of color can be somewhat based on individual perspective, as I discussed in, “Simple tips to improve your Web Accessibility,” you should try to use colors in accordance to their general universal meaning. Not only does using colors correctly increase web accessibility, it is especially important because colors are a non-verbal, sub-conscious way of conveying your ideas. Therefore, color is one of the web designer’s most essential tools to use in his or her development toolbox. As I have mentioned, each color has a meaning attached to it, and it is important to understand that meaning so you use the color properly. In Web Design, The Complete Reference, the author states that each color has an implied meaning, though that implied meaning can have a cultural bias attributed to it. But generally, the following colors have the following implied meanings.
- RED: Hot, Error, Stop, Warning, Love
- PINK: Female, Cute, Love
- ORANGE:Halloween, Warm, Autumn
- YELLOW: Happy, Sun, Caution, Excitement
- BROWN: Dirty, Fall, Earth, Nature
- GREEN: Money, Envy, Nature
- BLUE: Peaceful, Water, Male, Sadness
- PURPLE: Royalty, Luxury
- BLACK: Darkness, Evil, Death, Mourning, Night
- GRAY: Gloom
- WHITE: Clean, Innocent, Winter
Now, each of those colors can give the website viewer an instant and profound subconscious reaction or psychological effect. So use the color in situations where you are trying to persuade or convey a certain message, and make sure you use the color correctly, or the wrong effect can result. For example, blue, green, brown, turquoise and silver are all considered cool colors, which have a calming or reassuring effect when viewed. These, colors would be most useful for site about relaxation, nature, medicine, law, or any other site that is trying to invoke a sense of relaxation and reassurance. Red, pink, yellow, gold, and orange are all warm colors, thus causing excitement for the viewer. These colors would be best suited for fast food sites, sports sites, sites where you want the viewer to purchase items, or any other site where you want to stimulate the viewer. Black, white, brown, beige and ivory are considered neutral colors; and purple is consider a mixed color, meaning it can have a calming or stimulating effect depending on the hue.
The color wheel is another important tool the web designer can use to insure the correct use of color. It is imperative for a website designer to understand and implement the color wheel correctly. For example, colors next to each other on the color wheel are what I call, corresponding or balancing colors, like yellow and orange. Balancing colors can a harmonizing effect and these colors complement each other, though they can be boring if over used. Contrasting colors are opposite each other on the color wheel, for example yellow and purple. Contrasting colors can have a great effect when trying to cause attention and make something noticeable. Many sports teams use contrasting colors in order to invoke excitement and high visibility. For example, the LSU Tigers with their purple and gold team colors, and the Florida Gators with their blue and orange team colors, both of which are contrasting color schemes.
As you can see, the use of color can have a profound effect on your website. Therefore, before you start to implement a logo or piece together a website, take a minute to contemplate what your ultimate goal for that website is. Consider your clients’ goals and what reaction they hope to receive from their viewers. I assure you that if you use color correctly and consider it in your design, it will be an extremely handy tool in making an exceptionally eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing page, which should be one for primary your goals as a web designer. So remember, to make your site more visually appealing, implement an appropriate color scheme that is utilizes just the right amount and difference of color to clearly communicate the individuality and the meaning of your page. And, remember to “mix and shake” your site!
Stay tuned for Tips and Tools on How to Use Colors in your Site!
Teylor Feliz is a well-known XHTML/CSS/JavaScript enthusiast from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He has more than 10 years experience in the computer programming and development world, including 2 years teaching computer science. He is currently living in Louisiana, where he plans to complete his degree in Computer Science, and begin a Masters in the field.
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thanks for your useful article,I have submitted a link of this article to http://www.webmasterclip.com/story/meaning-colors-designs
in order to share with other members.
“PURPLE: Royalty, Luxury” – Now I know why my site use this color
. Thank you, it’s very useful article
nice article thanks for informations..
Erm, aren’t these associations very ethno centric? White in India / China is the colour of death. Red is a celebratory colour
Yes, of course every culture has its own interpretation of the meaning of color, and yes you are right that in Asia the color white is associated with death; and I even mention that in the article that an implied meaning of color can be different depending on culture. However, I was trying to put forth a generality with regards to color. I know generalities at times can be just that, general; but with my experience with color, I have found that these seem to be pretty accurate throughout the web. Thanks for your comment!
Another reason why purple is for me – PURPLE: Royalty, Luxury