How To Use Colour Psychology As A Web Design Tool

• By Sarah
• General News
• 855 Views
• 19th March 2023

The choice of colour in a website design can play an important role in the success of a website. Here’s a look at the influence that colours can have on a website user, and how it can help or hinder the overall performance of the website.

 

How colour psychology is used by marketers

Colour psychology is a relatively new area of study, but humans have long been aware of their emotional response to colour. It can impact on our mood and state of mind, and this is why marketers will deliberately use a certain colour over another one. In our culture, colours are associated with meaning.

 You are probably already familiar with some of these ideas; for example, red is used to command attention, while blue is seen as calm and authoritative. Web and graphic designers may use the power of red to draw attention to something such as a discount or promotion. 

It can convey energy, passion, and drama, although it does have some negative connotations of danger and violence. It’s a powerful colour that needs to be used with care to have the desired effect— to prompt the web visitor to take action, rather than to be overstimulating and off-putting. 

Blue is another very popular colour for web design palettes. It is associated with trust, serenity, competence, and authority. For these reasons it is often used by healthcare providers and financial institutions. However, it can be seen as cold and clinical, so if your website products or services are food related, it may not be the best colour choice.

Green is the obvious choice for websites that want to emphasise the environmentally friendly nature of their products or services. It’s a positive colour that can convey growth and renewal, and is often used as a more energetic and youthful alternative to blue. 

Black is a strong colour that can be commanding and sophisticated, but it needs to be used with care to avoid an overwhelming and oppressive effect. It is often best used with bold accent colours that create a vivid contrast, such as white, yellow, or pink. 

White is the most versatile of colours, and works well for almost any sector. It should be teamed with a palette of stronger base and accent colours to add interest. White works particularly well for websites that want to appear understated or serious in tone.

Less commonly used colours such as orange, yellow, purple, brown, and pink have all been applied effectively in web design, but they tend to be more divisive colours that people either like or find off putting. However they can all work well as accent colours to a more neutral main colour.

It’s important to consider how your choice of colour conveys your brand message and speaks to your target audience. For example, colour preferences can also be influenced by age, gender, and cultural and social background. 

Colour psychology can be a useful tool for selecting an effective web palette. One point to bear in mind is that your rivals are likely to use similar colours for the same reasons that you have, so sometimes breaking the rules might help you to stand apart from the crowd. 

 

If you are looking for a WordPress developer in Lancashire, please get in touch with us today.