Artists such as painters and illustrators are experts in their fields and know how to work on colours. In these modern times, the use of colour to communicate with people makes its way in business applications, from advertising to web design. When incorporating colour theory on your website, it is essential to make use of this skill to be able to benefit from it fully.
What Is Colour Theory?
When it comes to Brisbane web design, colour theory is more than visual decoration. It can be a game-changer, helping you achieve your desired results. It is both art and science that people use to identify what colours look good and work well together. This is a vast topic that involves cultural associations, human perception, and colour psychology. But, when talking about UI (user interface) design, colour theory is classified into three parts:
- Complementary. Complementary colours are typically those that are on the opposite sides of the colour wheel. When combined, they appear more prominent and brighter together. For example, purple compliments yellow.
- Contrast. These are two colours from different sections of the colour wheel with different shades and tints. Contrasting colours help establish hierarchy, showing which areas of the design are most valuable. Contrast also increase visual interest.
- Vibrancy. A specific colour can evoke certain moods. Brighter warm tones have a tendency to make users more alert and energetic, for example, orange, yellow, and red. On the other hand, darker colour tones give off more serene and relaxing, for example, blue, purple, and green.
Colour Relationships
When working on your web design, make use of the colour schemes, which are the relationship of colours. These include monochrome, complementary, analogous, and triadic. Many designers prefer to use analogous and complementary colour schemes because they are the easiest to work with.
You can use different colours and partner them with other colours, and be able to influence the message or the emotional impact of a design. Again, a colour wheel is a great tool for determining harmonious relationships like split-complementary or triad colours. However, using the colour wheel depends on the method of the designer.
Colour Warmth
In general, colours can be warm or cool. Warm colours have higher amounts of red and yellow. They induce happiness, heat, and passion. They are also used in warnings and alert messages, as they evoke a sense of danger.
Cool colours have higher amounts of purple and blue. These colours are perceived as more tranquil and soothing than warm shades. They tend to remind people of the sky, clear waters, and chilly weather. But, note that they also imply sadness and formality.
You can produce a harmonious palette by adding neutral colours like black, gray, and white. They can add contrast to your web design and balance out your colour combinations.
The Importance of Colours in Website Design
The main benefit of utilizing the right colour combinations in your web design is that they help your visitors understand and navigate your website. Colours can improve user experience, allowing people to find the information they are looking for and respond to your CTA.
There are other advantages of understanding colour. It plays a huge role in product messaging and branding when you use it properly in your design. It can increase customer satisfaction and brand recognition, influencing the decisions of customers. Also, the colour scheme you use can cause the success or failure of your marketing campaign.
Considering the influence of colour psychology on the emotions of users, many businesses of different industries take advantage of using it. Carefully selected colours can persuade users to take action, sign up for your mailing list, or purchase products. For this reason, it pays to be knowledgeable in colour theory to boost your conversion rate.
You can reinforce the overall appearance and message of your web design by choosing your colours carefully:
Red. It is the most energizing and stimulating color. It represents power, passion, youth, and importance. This colour attracts the most attention; hence, it is commonly used for important notices and warnings. If you opt for a more relaxed vibe, use it in a lighter shade, sparingly, or not at all, as it can also incite overstimulation or anger.
Blue. This colour represents a lot of things depending on the shade. While all blues are generally safe and relaxing, darker shades convey somberness while lighter ones are friendlier.
Blue promotes reliability, openness, calmness, and safety.
White. A web design that is clean, simple, and minimalist would likely have a white background. White gives a feeling of freedom, allowing site visitors to absorb the information with the needed visual breathing room. White is also great in accenting other colours and softening the contrast between darker shades on the page.
Black. It can portray different characteristics depending on the supporting colours, but it can also swallow all of them when used excessively. Black is a neutral colour but strong enough to be the popular choice in a web design. This strong colour conveys timelessness and sophistication.
Grey. It is another popular choice for professional and both modern and traditional websites. Grey comes in many shades, so it offers variety. Web designers will have a great time using grey background and partnering it with other brighter colours.
Orange. It is considered the most muted colours in the warm category. It incites uniqueness and friendliness. It also gives a sense of energy, enthusiasm, and movement. This colour can impact your brand personality and make potential buyers take action.
Pink. This colour symbolizes love, softness, and femininity. Lighter shades appear fragile and gentle, while darker shades seem more intimate or elated. The soft characteristic of pink makes it popular in women’s products, baby products, and confectioneries.
Yellow. It is one of the versatile colours out there. In general, yellow exudes enthusiasm, comfort, and happiness. It can give a sense of invigoration and antiquity, depending on the shade. Businesses that provide consultancy services are likely to choose yellow, as it also conveys authority and wisdom.
Green. This colour symbolizes stability, money, affluence, nature, and growth. Green sits comfortably between cool and warm colours. It has the energizing vibe of yellow and the soothing effect of blue at the same time. With that, it creates a steady and balanced atmosphere.
When working on colour theory for your web design, things will be easier if you have a solid prerequisite about it. This is because the colours you choose will have the power to evoke emotions, communicate with your audience, and impact the overall design of your website.