Web Site Design Color For You

Colors can influence our behavior, feelings and psyche. In fact, colors are oftentimes used as treatment to psychotics and other mentally incapacitated persons.

However, when it comes to web designing, many designers overlook the enigmatic power of colors. It can bring life to any image, text or graphics. It can create the atmosphere needed in order to capture the viewer's decision and loyalty. These are the reasons why colors should be on our topmost list of things that need to be considered in mounting a web site. You don't want a drab looking site, do you? It will appear, melancholic, chaotic, plain and boring. Thus, colors must be chosen in order to complement the site's ambiance, feelings and purpose.

Web browsers only see 256 colors. However, there are times when the number may not appear as such because no browser shares the same 256-color pallet. Nowadays, web browsers are sharing 216 common colors. Thus, in order to complement to other web browsers, web designers must stick to the 216-color pallet. If they go beyond this color pallet, chances are the colors may not exist on other browser. In order for the browser to display that particular color, it will need tiny dots from the colors native to the browser. The process is called dithering. Unfortunately, this will result to the distortion of some tiny dots. Further, this will make the image appear speckled and without a solid color. In connection to texts, dithering will make them blurry and hard to read.

Verdict: Web designers must use browser safe color when using solid color as a design element. However, caution must be exercised.

There are times when we feel we are tricked by our eyes. In fact there is what we call mirage? An optical illusion and there is a long list of optical illusions that can otherwise trick us. But there are times when we are neither tricked or deceived in fact it is an act of science. How do this happen?

At the back of our eyes, there is a thin layer of tissue. This layer of tissue contains millions of tiny light-sensing nerve cells which are called rods and cones. Our eyes have ample decoding cones. These cones are the ones responsible for responding to specific wavelengths of light. Say, when you look at a red box, the cones that have detected the red wavelength become exhausted and fatigued. As a result, opposite cones in the eyes start to enter and different colors are made apparent.

Eye fatigue is one of the important considerations in designing a web site. Thus, avoid colors that are tiring to the eyes. It can result to disaster and can further result to giving of wrong notion or idea to the viewers. Colors like red and yellow, strains the eye faster than any other colors. Thus, limit the use of these colors. Use them on areas that need emphasis and focus. This will surely pull viewers attention. Other that those areas - a big no-no!

Color printing a notch higher

If you want to take your color printing into the next level, you may want to put it in your site or in any other form of getting people to read them. It cannot be denied though that there are some things people love and hate to see, whether offline or online, in the printing mediums that other people, companies and businesses use.

Take, for example, in some web sites. When flashes first came into existence, web site owners wanted to have a piece of the action. Who doesn’t? See, that is trend and trends are supposed to be followed.

There are those who use flashes for the sake of flash. Meaning there is really no logical reasoning why they use it in the first place. As long as they are using the trend, they could not care less if it is irritating or does not serve any good purpose at all.

The more effective flashes can get the attention of the readers. Makes browsing more fun too if you want to take a bit of their focus away from the usual flow of boring information. What flash users do not know is that they can make browsing very hard, takes too long to open and a constant source of irritation. Know and visit your flash.

People, on the other hand, loves drop shadows on printed materials. Someone a plain logo or design is given depth if drop shadows are put into them. That is mainly the main purpose of these shadows. Gives the readers something to wonder about too.

If you are in the process of designing a logo or a graphic design, think about this. Putting the perfect colors into them does not make them any different from others who already have done that same thing. Getting it printed in a nice paper stock is common too.

Try drop shadows. It cannot be denied that when you see shadows, you tend to think more about its use and can even begin wondering why it is used in the first place. One thing you will notice is that it can add some zest to the picture. Makes plain more exciting.

Flashes and drop shadows may be two different things not only in terms of the mediums they are used upon. What do they have in common? They both appeal to the emotions of the readers.

Love and hate. Two contradicting descriptions but emotions nonetheless.

Color Theory - Choosing Your Website Colors

Is the choice of colors for your website and print materials more than just a matter of personal preference? Does it really matter what color choices you make? Will your audience really feel differently because of the color combinations? The answer to all these questions is Yes, Yes, and Yes!

Color is considered emotional, because variations evoke different emotions in people. We all know that green is the color of money, but did you also know that green can symbolize greed, envy, and jealousy? The colors you choose will have a direct effect on how the public perceives your company or product. This can be complicated by the fact that our use of color on the web is now limitless: technology allows us to create millions of color combinations. So how do you choose? This brief article will make it simple to understand the basics of choosing colors.

It’s important to understand that every color has a positive and negative set of emotions associated with it, what I call the “color meaning”. It’s this meaning that will affect your customer’s emotional response to your company, brand or product. So when choosing color schemes for your website, or any other media type, you need to make sure you’re presenting your company or product with a color that will most likely entice the audience to choose your company or product.

Take a quick break, and go look in your lunch room, refrigerator, or kitchen cabinets at the products we purchase from the grocery store. What color do you see the most of? Chances are, you’re seeing red, and lots of it. Just glimpsing into my cabinets, now that I know I’m looking for it, I seem to be thrown in to a world of red products. Chef Boyardee, Kellogg’s, Lipton, Carnation, Ragu, Aunt Jemima, Nestle, Betty Crocker, Orville Redenbacher’s, Heinz, Pam, all of these brands are jumping out at me with red in their labels. Why? Red is a very “hot” color, and very emotional as well. In studies, red actually has a physical effect on people, increasing their heart rate and causing blood pressure to rise. Red grabs our attention, stirs us to action, and thus is a very powerful color for product packaging.

All colors fit into three categories; cool, warm and neutral. While you can select all of your colors from the same category, it is often possible to achieve a more powerful effect by introducing a color from one of the other groups. Let’s take a look now at how colors work together, and what each color may mean to the viewer.

Cool Colors
Blue, green, purple, turquoise and silver are cool colors. Cool colors tend to have a calming effect on the viewer. Used alone however, these colors can have a cold or impersonal feel, so when choosing cool colors, it may be wise to add a color from another group to avoid this.

Blue Color Meaning.
Positive: tranquility, love, loyalty, security, trust, intelligence
Negative: coldness, fear, masculinity

Green Color Meaning.
Positive: money, growth, fertility, freshness, healing
Negative: envy, jealousy, guilt, disorder

Purple Color Meaning. (purple is a combination of blue and red, so it is found in both the warm and cool categories)
Positive: royalty, nobility, spirituality, luxury, ambition
Negative: mystery, moodiness

Turquoise Color Meaning.
Positive: spiritual, healing, protection, sophisticated
Negative: envy, femininity

Silver Color Meaning.
Positive: glamorous, high tech, graceful, sleek
Negative: dreamer, insincere

Warm Colors
Red, pink, yellow, orange, purple, and gold are warm colors. Warm colors tend to have an exciting effect on the viewer. However when these colors are used alone they can over-stimulate, generating emotions of anger and violence. When choosing warm tones, adding colors from another group will help to balance this.

Red Color Meaning.
Positive: love, energy, power, strength, passion, heat
Negative: anger, danger, warning, impatience

Pink Color Meaning.
Positive: healthy, happy, feminine, compassion, sweet, playful
Negative: weakness, femininity, immaturity

Yellow Color Meaning.
Positive: bright, energy, sun, creativity, intellect, happy
Negative: coward, irresponsible, unstable

Orange Color Meaning.
Positive: courage, confidence, warmth, friendliness, success
Negative: ignorance, sluggishness, superiority

Purple Color Meaning. (purple is found in both warm and cool colors)
Positive: royalty, nobility, spirituality, luxury, ambition
Negative: mystery, moodiness

Gold Color Meaning.
Positive: wealth, prosperity, valuable, traditional
Negative: greed, dreamer

Neutral Colors
Brown, tan, ivory, gray, black and white are neutral colors. Neutral colors are a great selection to mix with a cool or warm palette. They are good for backgrounds in a design, and also tend to tone down the use of other more overpowering colors. Black is added to create a darker “shade” of a primary color, while white is added to create a lighter “tint”.

Black Color Meaning.
Positive: protection, dramatic, serious, classy, formality
Negative: secrecy, death, evil, mystery

Gray Color Meaning.
Positive: security, reliability, intelligence, solid, conservative
Negative: gloomy, sad, conservative

Brown Color Meaning.
Positive: friendly, earth, outdoors, longevity, conservative
Negative: dogmatic, conservative

Tan (beige) Color Meaning.
Positive: dependable, flexible, crisp, conservative
Negative: dull, boring, conservative

Ivory Color Meaning.
Positive: quiet, pleasantness, pureness, warmness
Negative: weak, unstable

White Color Meaning.
Positive: goodness, innocence, purity, fresh, easy, clean
Negative: winter, cold, distant

You may be asking, “What is the right color combination for my business website?” While there is no absolute “right” color for your website, you need to understand your target audience, and consider their response to colors, not your own. If your end goal is for them to choose your company or product, then your color palette must appeal to them. There are overall factors that indicate what your audience may or may not like.

The basic target audience factors to consider are age differences, class differences, gender differences and overall color trends.

Age difference is a key factor that should not be ignored. If children and adolescents are your target audience, then they prefer bright, primary colors like red, blue, green and yellow. However, if your target is older adults, they would prefer more muted or darker colors, along with colors from the neutral color group.

Class difference is another key factor in choosing colors. United States research has shown those in the working class prefer colors they can name like blue, red, green, etc. Those that are more educated tend to prefer more obscure colors like taupe, azure, celadon, salmon, etc.

Gender preference is an obvious factor in choosing your colors. Men tend to prefer cool tones like blues and greens, where women prefer warmer tones, reds and oranges. If you have an audience of both men and women, consider mixing some colors from the warm and cool palettes that would appeal to both men and women.

Last but not least are color trends. By definition, a trend means “current style”. Choosing currently popular colors may work well for some types of websites and products, but if you want to present longevity and stability, then popular colors may not be the best direction for you. Instead, you may want to consider more traditional colors that stand up over time.

Choosing color is more than just picking what feels good to you, it is about creating a response from the viewer. By knowing your target audience and the effect that different colors can have, you gain a greater ability to determine what colors will work best for your audience.

One final note on color. Viewers on the web can use different monitors, different browsers, and different operating systems. It is nearly impossible to ensure that your colors come across the same on every computer as well as in print. Don’t be overly concerned with the differences on varying computers, but do try to be consistent. Whether you’re creating a color palette for your company, a brand identity, or product colors, consistency is key. Use the same colors throughout all your marketing efforts to create familiarity with your company or product. Consistency will help instill trust with your viewer.

ColorImpact: Create Beautiful Color Schemes For Your Website With A Single Click!

ColorImpact: Create Beautiful Color Schemes For Your Website With A Single Click!

Word Count:

449

Summary:

ColorImpact is an award winning software for creating harmonious color schemes. The program is based on the color wheel used by artists for centuries. But the most useful tool for niche website builders is the Color Composer, that allows you to experiment and see how your color schemes look when used on real web page designs.

Keywords:

colors,color wheel,colorimpact,website colors,choosing colors,web design

Article Body:

ColorImpact is an award winning software for creating harmonious color schemes. The program is based on the color wheel used by artists for centuries. The artist's use of complementary colors, or colors opposite on the color wheel, creates an exciting painting.

There are a lot of great tools in ColorImpact, such as Matching Colors Wheel, Color Variations, Color Blender and Test Patterns. The Main Menu area is like a control center for this program and lets you explore the color tools.

The color tools let you adjust colors in the palette in order to better suit your needs. For example, the Color Variations panel lets you add and modify variations to the colors in the color palette, while the Color Blender gives you the power to create intermediary colors between any two end colors.

But the most useful tool for niche website builders is the Color Composer, that allows you to experiment and see how your color schemes look when used on real web page designs.

Color Composer

The Color Composer is an advanced color scheme designer for web pages. The flexible user interface allows you to combine one of several html templates with a number of predefined and user defined color formulas or preselected colors.

Want a quick set of pleasantly looking and harmonious colors for your new website? Simply launch the Color Composer and pick a Formula Base Color. The base color window pops up. It is a flexible color picker that gives you full control when selecting the base color.

Pick the base color, and the Composer will instantly give you color suggestions for the following main elements of a webpage:

* Page Header: Background, Logo and Top Bar
* Sidebar: Background, Heading, Heading Background, Menu Item and Menu Item Background
* Content: Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, Text, Background
* Links

Play with it! Pick colors from the Base Color circle and see how good the Composer is in selecting the best matches for webpage elements. When you're done, click File > Export Colors… and save you color scheme as a CSS file.

Creating a color scheme for your website has never been this easy!

Note: This review intentionally refers to an older version of the ColorImpact, known as ColorImpact Classic. Although, ColorImpact version 3 is available, in my opinion, the Color Composer in the Classic version is easier to use and more intuitive. Moreover, the ColorImpact Classic costs $20 less.

15-day trials are available for both versions of the program. The trials have no features disabled, so you can take advantage of them all while testing it. ColorImpact has a well organized and intuitive user interface and an extensive help documentation.

ColorImpact website: http://www.tigercolor.com/

Color and Your Website

Eiseman once said that “Of all the forms of non-verbal communication, color is the most instantaneous method of conveying messages and meanings.” He sure is right.

It has been often said that the website’s color must coordinate well. But when you surf the net you can see too many websites that have horrible color schemes. Good color is essential to the success of a website as color adds interest and flavor. It can be used to highlight important messages and it can draw a visitor’s attention to important elements.

Colors have different effects on people. Certain colors can invoke certain emotions to people and these emotional reactions can affect the image of your company. Anything that can evoke responses in people needs to be looked at carefully when designing your website. There are a few things to consider in choosing the right colors for your site to avoid any mishap.

• Use colors wisely. Black and white is best used on text and background colors. Black and yellow can also prove to be very good contrast. However, a site done entirely in yellow or black won’t really be appealing.

• When choosing colors for your background and text, make sure that the colors you choose are contrasting ones. You can use a dark color for text against light color for background. Never use similar colors for your text and background. You should be very careful in contrasting colors as some tend to “vibrate” such as red text on blue background. This can hurt some people’s eye.

• Simple color choices are often better. When having doubts about your colors you can always use black and white as they are easy to read and does not hurt your website.

• Avoid using patterned backgrounds because they appear to be noisy and tends to distract your website. Although they may seem pretty and fun, they often prove very hard to read.

Overall, you have to make sure that the colors that you use are pleasing and attractive to the eye. Select colors that best reflect the image that you want to give your visitors. Do not use normal color intensity images as a background behind text. And ensure that you use uniform color on all your pages to create a brand for your site.