Mouse Will Play
Skipton Web Design & Development
Planning a Website
Choosing a Colour Scheme
The colours used on a website are important, not only because they reflect your identity and brand but because they can affect the mood and emotions of your visitors.
Colours have different associations, e.g. red symbolises warning, danger but can also mean passion; blue is often used to symbolise professionalism but can be seen as melancholy. If you're targeting an international market, you should be particularly careful as colours have different meanings in different cultures.
Colour Associations & Sample Palettes
Greens
Soothing, organic, calm, balanced, fresh, natural, wealth, luck, fertility, peace, jealousy, growth, recycling, mint, plants, relaxing, stable, springtime, happiness
Yellows
Warm, fun, energetic, cheerful, healthy, hopeful, relaxed, sunshine, summer, cowardice, inspiring, hazard
Oranges
Fun, friendly, youthful, warm, halloween, Holland, energetic, autumn, nature, sun, health, flamboyant
Pinks
Love, beauty, feminine, exciting, energetic, sensual, stylish, fresh, sweet, playful, romantic
Blacks
Powerful, evil, mournful, strong, sophisticated, formal, conservative, chic serious, rebellious, elegant
Greys
Stylish, chic, elegant, dull, classy, fresh, innovative, modern, futuristic, soft, airy, sleek, calm, peace
Blues & Greens
Mixed
Blues
Trustworthy, conservative, cool, calm, strong, confident, corporate, loyal, harmony, clean, powerful, depression, cold, technology, patriotism, noble
Browns
Warm, conservative, earthy, natural, down-to-earth, wholesome, friendly, age, comfort
Reds
Danger, warning, victory, passion, impact, warm, sacred, hot, intense, love, aggressive, courage, fire, evil, anger
Purples
Romantic, delicate, cheerful, feminine, royalty, prosperity, spiritual, Easter, wisdom, justice
Whites
Pure, stable, trustworthy, happy, clean, fresh, life, goodness, marriage, peace, winter, cold
Blues & Pinks
Bright & Bold
Pastels
Here are some great sites that can help you find the perfect colour scheme:
- Colour Lovers - search thousands of colour palettes.
- Color Scheme Designer - a great tool that helps you find complimentary colours and shows you how they appear to those with various types of colour blindness.
- Color Schemer - select one colour to see a selection of complimentary colours. Particularly useful if you have one starting colour, e.g. from your logo.
