No matter where you go on the web, you will find nowadays that almost every web site is selling something. From individuals selling services to large corporations selling the same merchandise simultaneously sold in store chains, commerce has taken to the Internet like a fish to water, and every kind of conventional business can now be found on the web. In fact, this is the reason that the use of color in website design is currently such a hot topic of interest. Competition is becoming so fierce that to stand out on the Internet and thrive as a business, as much care should be taken in setting up an Internet “store” as in choosing a location or decorating a more traditional storefront. The exact same formulas for success apply.
A successful Internet “store” must be, first and foremost, accessible to everyone who enters it. Once inside, customers must be able to comfortably navigate the store’s contents or easily access information about the services provided. And finally, they must be provided with a means of quickly and successfully completing a purchase or procuring a service online. As is evident by what we have learned about color theory so far, color is tremendously important to achieving this success.
First, we have covered the more technical function of color, and learned that the use of colors must be in accordance with existing technology, while simultaneously heeding the rules defined by our own ability to discern color and be influenced by different color schemes. Second, we have learned how designing with colors can aid in conveying the right information to customers. Third, we have captured a glimpse of the importance of color in creating the appropriate navigational tools for effectively maneuvering around the complex electronic spaces upon which these stores are built. And finally, we have learned much of the use of color in creating an overall sense of visual harmony that holds onto a customer’s interest in the online shopping experience.
Following are several web-specific tips that can also help you use color more effectively when designing a business website:
Always select the most appropriate colors by analyzing your website’s products or services as well as your target market. One of the most essential and commonly overlooked aspect of using color in website design is the importance of choosing colors that bear some kind of relationship (either symbolic or literal) to the product or service you are trying to sell.
Always use the color harmony principles discussed above to create a pleasant and overall balanced visual experience. In particular, always ensure that the colors of all the components on your website (navigation system, banners, buttons, and text) work well together, and that there is some common attribute that dynamically unites them all. .
Always use color to create the most functional user-interface design. All other means considered, color remains the most effective way to direct the eye to the most important areas on your web page. This always takes some careful planning on your part as a web designer. You should always keep in mind what you would like the viewer to see first, where the ‘ideal’ eye should move next, and how much time the viewer’s attention should be held by each area.
This is closely related to “Signal Detection Theory,” or the study of how the brain is able to synthesize information when the colors and shapes within the visual field are held at a minimum. The key is to strike a balance between too many colors and shapes inhibiting focus and too few colors and shapes weakening the brain’s natural signal detection ability.
Always convert website images to the correct file formats. This will help you to consistently deliver the best quality images with the best possible colors. It will also decrease file sizes and shorten download times.
Never be afraid to experiment with new ideas, but always keep in mind the basic relationships between colors and their many different forms, and all the different ways that their presentation will affect the viewer. When all is said and done, color will always play a pivotal role in your customer’s final decision to buy your product or procure your services.
The use of color is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal in designing a website, or any other medium with which you are attempting to relate to or communicate with other people. Color is so powerful that it can persuade, motivate and inspire when it is used in a balanced and effective way, and so crucial that it can completely drive people away when its overall influence is poorly understood and it is used poorly or inefficiently. In short, color is far more complex than many of us give it credit for.
The best ways to solidify your understanding of the power of colors from here is to experiment and to observe. Experiment with color wheels and color theory, and try applying the different techniques outlined here to get a feel for how they affect overall design. As you visit other pages online, take note of how effective different web pages are at engaging you, and look for similarities in their overall color schemes or special features that best capture your attention. As a starting point for understanding the relativity of color, observe the effects colors have on each other, and their relative warmth or coolness. And finally, always try to remain aware of noticeable differences in your own perception of color as you are exposed to different values and saturations of the various hues. In observing and experimenting in this way, you will gain a far better understanding of the overall importance of colors, and be well on your way to being able to create more powerful and more influential web designs.
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