In general, the younger your audience the brighter your website colors need to be. Kids love bright, flashy websites with intense crayon box colors. But use these same colors in a website designed for adults, and they will probably squint, rub their eyes, and leave your website before they get a headache.
On the other hand, if you use gray, saturated colors in a website for kids, they will probably only stay on the site for a few seconds before bouncing off to view something more interesting. Most kids have less attention span than adults, so they need more color to grab the attention of their minds and direct it toward your website's content.
Color and the Class of your Audience
Marketing research seems to indicate that working class people approve of clearly defined colors that you can easily name. Think about the logos and brand colors of major businesses that are aimed at the working class. These are businesses such as McDonalds, Walmart, and other chains. The colors of their logos are bright and clear cut: red, yellow, and other primary colors.
In contrast, the same marketing research would indicate that wealthy and highly educated people sometimes prefer mixed colors like azure, cobalt, mauve, and other shades that aren't easily named at first glance.
Color and the Gender of your Audience
In most cultures, Western and Eastern, men tend to prefer cooler colors such as green and blue, while women like warmer shades such as red and orange. Another major thing to consider is that according to one recent statistic 15% of Western men are at least partially colorblind. As a result they may find it difficult or impossible to distinguish between purple and blue or brown and green. Using these colors in key areas could have an unintended effect for these visitors.
Basic Color Concepts: The Color Wheel
The color wheel is a round disk with twelve segments corresponding to twelve of the major hues, or colors, that make up our sight spectrum.
These colors are divided into three subsets:
- The Primary Colors are red, yellow, and blue. They can not be mixed from any combination of any of the other colors, but mixed together they can create any other color on the color wheel. Their location on the color wheel forms a triangle.
- The three Secondary Colors: green, orange, and violet are created by mixing equal parts of two of the Primary Colors. They lie midway between the primary colors on the color wheel.
- The Tertiary Colors are created by mixing a secondary color and a primary color. They are intermediate hues that lie between a secondary color and a primary color on the color wheel.
When you choose colors hues that lie side by side on the color wheel you are using Harmonizing Colors. If too many of these colors are used on a website it may make the page appear washed out or dull.
Complementary Colors are hues that are separated by another color on the color wheel. These colors can work well together, but they need to be separated by visual space or they will both lose visual meaning.
Contrasting Colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors create a vivid contrast that works well to draw attention to important elements or to create a strong division. This may sound bad, but contrasting colors, if used carefully, can be one of the best color combination possible. They create memorable logos and strong brands that stand out as different.
The Meaning of Colors
Each color has a specific meaning that may be associated with it. This can be important if you are trying to create a mood or strong impression for your web page. Also, cultural background could have an effect on how color is associated with events, holidays, or emotions.
The Meaning of Blue
Blue can convey a sense of importance or universal appeal. Blue is the color of the sky, and therefore it is something that everyone can connect with in some way. In addition, blue is often associated with spirituality. Again this is because the sky is blue.
In Western culture blue may be associated with depression or sadness, but at the same time it is tied in with professional corporations and the "something blue" bride tradition.
The Meaning of Purple
Purple is halfway between the exciting hue of red and the calming shade of blue. It creates a sense of mystery and rich appeal. Purple is also said to stimulate the imagination and creativity, and so it is often associated with innovation.
In Western lands purple may be associated with nobility, or spirituality, whereas in some Eastern lands purple is the color of mourning.
The Meaning of Red
Red is a color of mixed feelings. On the one hand it is closely tied to the color of blood, and the feelings of anger, war, violence, flames, and the devil. On the other hand, red is linked with love and the heart. Medical studies have proven that the color red is a stimulant. Red is also associated with power and prestige. (For example: Rolling out the red carpet.)
In Eastern lands red is the color of celebration, happiness, and prosperity. Red is a lucky color that keeps away evil spirits, or it could be associated with communism. In the West red is the color of love, danger, or the stop sign.
The Meaning of Orange
Orange is midway between the powerful excitement of red and the cheerful, warm feeling of yellow. Orange is the color of the setting sun and of fall leaves so it may be associated with feelings of change. Orange also stimulates emotions and appetite, according to some studies.
Western culture may associate orange with Halloween, autumn, or with creativity.
The Meaning of Yellow
Yellow is a cheerful, happy color, the color of the warming light of our Sun. Yellow is highly visible, and is most often used for contrast against a dark color such as black.
In the West yellow may be linked to danger, or cowardice. But in some Eastern lands yellow is the color of courage and nourishment.
The Meaning of Green
Green is the color of vegetation and so it is often linked to freshness and the environment. Businesses may use the color green to stress that their company has a low carbon footprint, or that they recycle. Green may also be thought off in the negative light of jealousy or inexperience.
In the West green is associated with spring, moving forward, and rebirth. In the East green is the color of Islam.
The Meaning of Black
Black is not a color, but rather the absence of color. As such it usually goes well with just about any other color. But there are many varied connotations to the color black. Black is most often linked with mourning, death, or rebellion. But black can also be thought of as mysterious, alluring, sexy, or professionally sophisticated.
In the West culture mostly links black to death and punk rebellion, but in the East black can be the color of youth.
Conclusion
Color is one thing that a website designer should never neglect. Use color well and a site will stand out. Misuse it and the page may appear revolting, depressing, or irritating.
I have tried several different things with my two web blogs. Inkweaver Review, my book review blog for young adults, has a very bright theme. I use the colors blue, green, and orange in bright hues that capture the attention of youngsters. The Inkweaver Review logo is contrasting green and orange, making it seem both fresh and cheerfully creative.
For this blog, however, I have used the colors of black, green, and orange. I had originally planned to use black, orange, and powder blue, but I decided that it was more important to create a green and orange theme across my two blogs. In addition the very name of this site: "Experiment Garden" means that the word "garden" is better tied to the color green. Somehow "garden" and the color powder blue don't go as well together. The black color of "Experiment Garden" reflects the older age group that it is aimed at, as well as its more professional and sophisticated content.
That is how I arrived at my current website color schemes.
What do you think about the use of color? Are there any colors that you associate with specific emotions or feelings?
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