How Colors Play a Role in Website Design

The psychology of colour and its impact are still being studied up till this very day. By observing our surroundings, we are able to see the impact colour makes in our world. From the clothes we wear to the items we buy, colours evoke different feelings and emotions that influence our everyday decisions. Studies suggest that people make a subconscious judgment about a product within 90 seconds of initial viewing. Up to 90% of that assessment is based on colour alone.

Memory retention and recall are also enhanced through colour, which is pretty important when it comes to remembering a specific product or brand - it is why businesses and organisations tend to place so much importance on getting their branding right. They want to stand out from their competitors and use colour to evoke particular emotions from their target audience. This, of course, doesn’t just apply to their logos, internal assets and marketing collaterals  – it also applies to their online digital presence - helping to define their website in a very crowded market.

When used correctly, colour - along with good typography, can be one of the single most important aspects of website design - so getting the palette right at the start of the project is essential and should ideally be limited to two or three colours as to not complicate the website design and overwhelm users. The most common colour palettes usually fall into the following categories:

Common Color Palettes for Website Efficiency

• Monochromatic - when hues, or tints, from a single colour are used.
• Analogous - utilising colours which sit next to each other on the colour wheel.
• Complementary - this is created from two colours opposite each other on the colour wheel. These work really well where a high level of contrast is required.
• Split-complementary - like complementary which uses the opposite colour, this palette uses two opposite colours.
• Triadic - this is created from three colours which are evenly spaced around the colour wheel. 
• Tetradic - also known as the rectangle uses four colours. This allows for plenty of variation within the design.

Colors have their own hierarchy which is defined by the power of impact on users’ mind. Warm colors evoke warmth like red, yellow and orange. Cool colors make people think of cool and chilly colors like blue, green and purple. Neutral colors, as the term suggests, don’t create much of an emotion. Colors like grey and brown are neutral colors.

Colors are able to give websites meaning without having to use descriptive words. They can help move a user’s eye through your site, creating movement and motion that directs users around a page. As seen in many of the corporate sites, they create emotions and values that help show users what the company is about and what kind of products they are selling. Pairing colors can help change the meaning of a site altogether. Pair a soft blue site that creates calming qualities with a bright orange, and you could change your site to be more exciting and joyful.