Colour Psychology
Colour is a key element in web design. Users can relate colours to emotions and they a real so important for setting tone of the website. If the colours are not complimenting or look unappealing this could turn users away, making them feel the site is not trustworthy or professional. Therefore it is important to consider the colours that will be used on the website.
Cultural Association
Colours have different meanings and it is important to remember that colours could convey something completely diffrent in other cultures. For example to us in western cultures if we saw the colour red we may thnk about it being a symbol of heat or danger. However in Indian cultures red is a symbol of power and wealth as well as connotations to love, passion and beauty. In china the colour suggests celebration, happiness and luck. So in Chinese and Indian culture red generally has positive connotations, however if we were to compare this with the symbolism of red in South Africa we would see red representing mourning and sacrifice.
Colour Symbolism
Colours generally have a different effect for different people,so it can be hard to decide on a colour palette asthere really is no way of ensuring everyone will find it visually pleasing. However there are some colours that we associate general emotions and feelings with. For example yellow is generally associated with happiness, optimism and playfulness. This maybe a good choice if you were wanting to create a website with a more light hearted and friendly tone. Blue is often a colour that is linked to the feeling of trust and peacefulness. This is often why we see this colour being used in the branding for banks.
Colour Palettes
There are diffrent types of colour palettes that can be used when creating a website. It is important to not use too many colours or it may appear messy and unstructured. Generally two to five colours is the maximum.
Monochromatic-This technique uses shades or tints of one colour from the colour wheel. This isone of the most popular techniques when it comes to branding as it helps to keep a minimal and effective looking design.
Analogous- Colours that are beside each other on the colour wheel. This can be very versatile.
Complimentary- This colour palette uses colours that are opposite from each other on the colour wheel.
Traid- Three colours that are equal distance from each other on the colour wheel.
Contrast
Contrast is also important to have on a website. This will help to create hierarchy and attract the users eye to specific parts of the site. However there can be bad uses of contrast that can create shimmering and make things illegible or difficult to see. using white and black is always a good way of creating contrast. This is used on many websites.
References
http://thebrandedsolopreneur.com/branding-color-palettes/
