While we may not realize it, the color of the things we see affects our mood in a wide variety of ways. Scientific studies have actually revealed that color affects not only our perception but our emotions and behavior as well. In web design, we understand that color is just as important as written content and other professional web design elements. In fact, we’ve seen plenty of examples of a website that is eloquent and clear with their messaging but the color choices used for background and elements send a contradictory message.
Although many companies choose their website colors based off of their logo, many fail to realize that their website says much more than what is presented at a conscious level. Web design elements like color reach the subconscious of a visitor and delivers the same strong message as written content. After all, what is the first thing you see when you visit a new website? Color!
That’s why we’d like to take a closer look at the psychology of color in professional web design to establish and reinforce the desired experience of a visitor.
The Psychology Of Color In Professional Web Design
White
White is a color that creates feelings of purity, cleanliness, virtue, and safety. In web design, visitors relate white with fairness, organization, and equality. This color is also associated with the healthcare industry and high-tech businesses like Apple.
Red
Red is a powerful, intense color that increases the heartbeat. In web design, red is often used as a call-to-action color because visitors associate it with feelings of love, energy, and excitement. It is also known to stimulate our appetites.
Pink
Pink is a nurturing, compassionate color that represents feelings of sophistication, sincerity, romance, and love. In web design, pink is known to calm and reassure visitors and is often used on websites geared towards women and girls.
Blue
Blue is a calming, tranquil color. In web design, blue is known to stimulate the minds of visitors into thinking more clearly. However, some shades of blue can create feelings of depression and coldness in certain people.
Green
Green is a harmonious, relaxing, and balancing color. In web design, green is often used in science, tourism, medicine, and environmental fields. It is also used to represent new beginnings, nature, and wealth.
Yellow
Yellow is an attention-grabbing color that simulates our emotional side. However, it can also irritate us if it’s overused. In web design, we use the color yellow to create a sense of happiness. It’s also great for drawing attention to important call-to-action buttons and text.
Orange
Orange is a warm, happy color. It is known to uplift and excite people. However, it can also be used to convey caution. In web design, we often use the color orange to draw attention to a client’s call-to-action and other content we want people to notice.
Purple
Purple is a color that is often associated with wealth, power, and prosperity. It stimulates our minds and creates a sense of creativity. In web design, purple is often used for beauty products, healing/yoga fields, and feminine brands. However, purple can look gross and cheap if it’s not used correctly
Brown
Brown is a warm, reflective color that people tend to associate with nature, reliability, and appetite. In web design, brown is often used for food-related content as well as animals/veterinary, and finance. Since brown is often considered a boring color, it’s best used as a background color instead of for call-to-action items.
Gray
Gray is an interesting color because it doesn’t result in a discernible psychological response. However, it is commonly associated with things like formality, professionalism, and sophistication. In web design, gray is often used for professional websites and luxury goods.
Black
Black is a strong, powerful, and authoritative color. However, black can also cause feelings of intimidation and control. In web design, black is often used for luxury goods, fashion, and marketing because it’s sophisticated, sleek look.
Choosing The Right Colors
When it comes to a professional website, it’s important to choose the right colors. While responsiveness and usability are undoubtedly key elements to include, it’s not enough to achieve a first-class conversion rate.
Color plays an important role in how your website should be designed for success. In fact, color and color combinations have a huge impact on how visitors react and use your website. In general, high-quality websites display both neutral and main colors. Neutral colors like white, black, and gray are often used in the background, while brighter, main colors are used for details and other foreground elements.
Warm colors like orange, yellow, and red are very strong and are often used to attract the attention of specific elements. However, if these colors are used too much on a single page, they can lose their positive potential and evoke feelings of negativity, aggression, and anger. Combined with colors like green and blue, however, you can create a calming effect that conveys loyalty and security.
The perception of specific colors also depends on what shade you use. For example, a more delicate shade of red may not attract the attention of a visitor but convey a sense of balance and harmony instead.
Furthermore, online visitors are both consciously and subconsciously affected by the color coding used on a specific page. In fact, they often act according to the feelings they associate with these color combinations. Therefore, by simply changing the color of the call-to-action buttons on your website you can significantly increase your conversion rates. Colors such as red, orange, and yellow have high conversion rates. Green is also a great option as people often associate this color with a “green light” which, in turn, means “go”, thus providing them with a feeling of doing the right thing. Colors like brown, black, and gray, however, have very low conversion rates and should be avoided for call-to-action areas.
Is Your Branding Matching Your Mission?
Choosing the right colors for your professional web design requires a lot of creativity and experimentation. Furthermore, color is an important design element that is vital to your overall brand and mission. The emotions and perceptions of the colors used must match your brand’s personality and add to your overall brand story and meaning.
At Thrive Web Designs, our team of professionals have tons of experience helping clients choose the best color palettes to attract and maintain their target audience for the success of their website. If you would like to learn more about color psychology and our web design services, contact us by filling out our online form or call us at (208) 391.2504. We would be more than happy to provide you with additional information and help you start the process of building something great!
