ARTICLES FOR WEBMASTERS 
 Tips for Choosing an Appropriate Color Scheme for a Website
There is a virtual representation for nearly everything and e-commerce
is no longer a luxury. In the very near future malls and
department stores may become a thing of the past and at one point or
another it is assumed that most people will design or have a hand in
designing a website. Building a website can be fun, entertaining,
and complicated. Choosing the color palette is the one aspect
that most people tend to think is the simplest. It is actually
the most important. The color scheme is the very first thing that
people will notice. If it is not appropriate then it will make it
impossible to reach the ultimate goal of reaching the maximum
visitors. It does not matter why a website is built, if it does
not make the viewer want to explore further than the index page then it
is not doing its job.
It is a proven fact that color can influence buying strategies, change
moods, and can predict behavior. For instance, the color green
makes people think of money, the environment, and growth. The
color red has varying effects dependent on the way that it is
presented. And those are just the true colors. That does
not even take into account the different shades and variants of each
color. Choosing the right color scheme for your website can be
fun, frustrating and time consuming but is not something that should be
done only with aesthetics in mind.
The purposes for having websites are many and varied. For
example, some may want to sell their products online as an extension of
their current business, while others wish to have a memorial website
dedicated to the life of a loved one who has passed. The goal of
the website is an integral part of the color selection process.
Some things are common sense and can help narrow the field of
choices. For example you would normally not see the color yellow
as a background color for a death metal band marketing page.
Red is a very bold color. It can relate many things to visitors
and carries a distinct message. Power, strength, heat, and energy
are all adjectives that describe the color red.
Yellow is the color of sunshine, summer days, and smiles. On the
other side of the spectrum, yellow has been associated with cowards,
agitation, and urine. It is a very memorable color and is
associated with a myriad of responses. Be very careful when using
the color yellow.
Blue represents truth, dignity, solidity, and trust. Banks often
use this color to convey security. The color blue can also
represent serenity and calm. Many websites use this color in the
background at some point or another because it creates a welcoming feel
and encourages visitors to remain on the pages.
Green is a color that tends to show prosperity, growth, advancement,
and environmental issues. It, like blue, can also be used to
allay fears, worry and stress.
Black is one of the most popular colors chosen for backgrounds on
websites. It can represent strength, it is not jarring to the
eye, and is easy to match with any other color. But the color
black is also used as a symbol of death. Use caution and do not
overwhelm site browsers with a depressing theme.
The list of color associations is endless, but the information is
readily available. Here are a few tips that can make the color
selection process a bit easier:
- The best place to start is with a set of colors that are
preferred. The good thing is that within each color set there is
normally a shade that can be incorporated to illicit the desired
result.
- Once the colors have been chosen, look at them, see what types of
emotions they illicit, gauge how long it takes to bring out that
response, and determine whether the color is appropriate to the theme
of the website.
- Open Photoshop or another graphics editing program and navigate
to the color palette. Find the chosen color and then locate those
that are in close proximity and exactly opposite of it on the color
wheel. This will automatically give you the contrasting color for
small details.
- Do not get discouraged. Even the most seasoned website
designers take a bit of time in choosing the color palette and become
just as frustrated.
Building a website is an entertaining, lucrative activity that many
people will participate in at one point in their lives. Look at
the businesses that are successful today. What types of colors
did they choose for their businesses? What makes them stand
out? There are so many choices to make during the design process
and each one takes careful consideration. Color enriches,
encourages, and can also dissuade. The best advice is to keep it
simple. Find what works and stick to it.
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