Which Colours Should I Use for My Website and Why?

by Tracy | May 20, 2019 | Web Design | 0 comments

Tracy

A freelance WordPress web designer and developer based in Reading, Berkshire.

Picking the right colours for your website or any design work, is more important than most people realise! You need to make sure your website is eye catching, but not tacky, unforgettable but not unprofessional. We have put together a few tips to help pick the perfect colour scheme!

Colour Emotions

Colour emotions can be very subtle but effective. Depending on the type of business that you have will depend on the array of emotions you want your customer to feel and experience while using your website. Each colour has a different feeling and emotion behind them: –

Yellow – Warm, Clarity, Optimism, Happy
Orange – Friendly, Confident, Cheerful
Red – Exciting, Youthful, Bold, Authority
Purple – Creative, Imaginative, Wise
Blue – Trustworthy, Strong, Dependable
Green – Peaceful, Health, Growth
Grey – Balanced, Neutral, Calming

Depending on your business, it would depend on what colour scheme you go for. If, for example, you provide a massage therapy service, you would look at calming and positive colours, such as yellows, oranges and grey. Whereas if, for example, you provided a financial services business, you may want to use blues and reds.

Gender & Demographics

Gender and demographics have a huge weight on potential colour schemes. You need to tailor the design to your targeted audience. For example, if your business was a male grooming product (such as a specific shaving gel or shaving gel) then you would look at more masculine colours than you would do if you were creating a website designed to advertise your local nail salon.

How Many Colours Is Enough?
There is a rule regarding colours when it comes to design, fashion and interior design, that creates the ‘perfect harmony’ that can be used. It is the 60 / 30 / 10 rule, and here is how it goes: –

60% – Dominant Colour

30% – Secondary Colour

10% – Accent Colour

Theoretically, this rule means that 60% of your website design will be the primary colour, with 30% being secondary and 10% being accent. By no means do you have to use three colours, however if you are starting out, it is a great rule to use. Allowing your website to be simple, clean and eye catching! Too many colours can make a website look ‘too busy’ and become a bad distraction.

Have a look on some popular websites and look to see if they have used the 60/30/10 rule! As always, if you need anymore advice on colours, please get in touch.