Color Meaning: Choosing a Color Scheme for Your Web Design

The color scheme of your website is a critical component of your overall web design. The colors you use convey to your users the mood of the page, areas of emphasis, your identity / branding through the use of images and logos and the quality of what you are offering. When a person visits a web page, they may not always consciously think, “wow, what great colors,” or, “these colors are ugly.” Subconsciously, however, they are taking in the entire design and the colors are the first thing they perceive. You have a couple of seconds for your design to make an impact with your visitors before they accept or reject the message delivered by your color scheme.

Choosing the “right” colors for your web design can be challenging and may differ depending on the type of site you are building. The color scheme that looks best on an informational page may not be ideal for your landing page or sales page. You may have the layout, fonts and page structure exactly as you planned, but still have something look not quite right. Chances are that the colors are the problem.

The right colors should blend together harmoniously or contrast in a way that is pleasing to the eye. Areas of emphasis should be positioned strategically around the page as opposed to being lumped together or overused. If you have a basic color scheme and the page elements have the look and feel you want, you may only need to change the shade of one color to achieve the desired cohesiveness to your design.

The free report, “Color Psychology For E-Book Cover Design” by Jill Black, can be applied to web site design, advertising or any other publication. It is an easy read that will help you understand where to use certain colors and what different colors mean to different cultures. Knowing the meaning and emotion evoked by different colors will help you choose the right color scheme for the market you are trying to reach.

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This Color Theory report is in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don’t have it, not to worry, Adobe provides it for free. Click Here to get it.