One of the various decisions that have to be made in the web design process is the choice in color scheme. From the borders and background to the graphics, headers and buttons, the color scheme can be a foundation for the rest of a website’s design.
And while that’s one major reason to be careful in selecting the colors for a site, here’s another: the colors you choose can implicitly communicate some message to your online audience and prospective clients. That’s because colors can have a significant impact on people’s moods and emotions. And that, in turn, can affect their choices and behaviors.
In other words, the color scheme for a site can be essential to engaging your audience and compelling them to respond to your call-to-action. Or, more simply, color can be key to a site’s success.
A Look at the Impacts Different Colors Can Have
So, just how exactly do different colors impact people’s moods? Here’s a look at some of the general impacts specific colors can have on emotion and an audience’s mental state:
- Red can imply warmth, romance, love, energy and intensity.
- Orange can signify enthusiasm, energy, impulse, fun and prosperity.
- Yellow can communicate optimism, intensity, caution and frustration.
- Green can suggest growth, prosperity, nature, harmony and peace.
- Blue can imply trust, wisdom, peace, truth and focus. Blue is also one of the few colors that anyone can distinguish (i.e., blue is not associated with color blindness).
- Purple can signify respect, wealth, sophistication and glamor.
- White can communicate neutrality, purity and openness.
- Black can suggest strength, authority, luxury and intellect.
- Brown can imply nature, stability, security and reliability.
Here, we also want to share with that, according to some of the latest research on color and online conversions:
- Men tend to prefer blues, greens and blacks; in contrast, they tend to be turned off by browns, oranges and purples.
- Women tend to prefer blues, purples and greens; in contrast, they tend to be turned off by oranges, browns and grays.
How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Site
When it comes to choosing the right colors for your site, here are some helpful tips:
- Consider your product and/or services, as well as your target audience or customer base – This is a great starting point when it’s time to select a color scheme for a site. For instance, while you may want to start with a bright color palette if your business caters to children or children’s products, it may be better to stick with more muted, sleeker colors if your business provides professional services or caters to a luxury crowd.
- Don’t overdo it – The right colors can increase conversions if they are used in the right ways. If, however, too much color is used, it can be off-putting and confusing, distracting from the real call-to-action on a site. In other words, too much color can backfire and sabotage the message a site is trying to communicate to an audience.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment – Test out different color schemes to see which options may be more appealing to your audience. You may be surprised to find that simple switch in button colors, for instance, may cause conversions to spike (or plummet). So, consider your site’s color scheme to be an evolving feature if you really want to find the best scheme to maximize conversions.
Ready to Talk about Color & Your Web Design? Contact Eye9 Design
When you are ready to design a new website or redesign an existing site, it’s time to contact Eye9 Design. For nearly 20 years, we have been designing dynamic, compelling and cutting-edge websites that not only make our clients happy but also position their businesses for success online.
Equipped big business skills and expertise, we are up to date with the latest advances in design and Internet marketing best practices, and we take advantage of the latest technology and systems to deliver high-quality results at fair, cost-effective prices.
While we encourage you to check out our design portfolio, as well as our glowing reviews on Google+, we also invite you to contact us today by calling (720) 229-0703 or by emailing us to receive a free design quote and find out more about how we can change the future of your company.
