Color in Web Design

The color scheme you select for your web site design is critical. Color affects our perceptions of a space, so when planning your web site choose your colors carefully. If you’ve hired a web designer, he or she can help determine the most appropriate color scheme for your web site.

A great deal of research has been conducted surrounding the psychology of color. A recent study published in the journal, Nature, analyzed the effect of uniform color on athletes, such as soccer players, boxers, and wrestlers. The study concluded that the athletes wearing red won more than sixty percent of the time. The scientists who conducted the study were convinced that the red uniforms gave the winning team a psychological edge. You might want to consider red clothing for your header background.

Colors are often associated with temperature or with certain emotions. These are culturally derived meanings and they can have a very real effect on people. Colors such as red, orange, and yellow are considered “warm” colors and can have a stimulating effect. The New York Times recently published an article concerning color schemes for schools, and found that reds, yellows, and oranges were often used in hallways to “speed up children in halls and gyms.”

Blues and greens are considered “cool” colors and can have a calming effect, especially when combined with fluorescent lighting. Blues and grays are also associated with ice, snow, or winter. If your company sold skis for example you might want to consider using these colors.





Gray and beige, are more neutral colors, and have associations also. Gray or silver can take on a futuristic, “gee-whiz” connotation. Beiges and browns can be used to suggest a nostalgic, retro feel in a booth. White can be used to create a more expansive feel in a space, while black creates a more confined feel.

Factor in your company’s home base or the location of your target clients when considering color schemes. If your company is based in the Southwest, browns and tans might work for you. Or, if your client base you are targeting is located near the coast like Miami, consider blues or greens. You should consider color selection to be one more item in your “arsenal” as you compete for the customer’s attention and retention in your web site.

Color in Web Design / William Jattin

William Jattin is the head designer for Hatten Design, a Miami Web Design Company For more information visit my site http://www.hattendesign.com