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What Color is Your Website?

by: Andrew T. LaPointe

During site creation, it is very easy to fall into the trap of
"if I can, I will" thinking. This method of thinking is very
dangerous. The premise is if I can create a site with 256
differently colored words, backgrounds and graphics, I will.

Graphic Designers from our Community

Your site may look great, but what will you accomplish? The
disadvantage to creating a single site with dozens of different
colors is color compatibility between different operating
systems, monitors and browsers. If the browser of your visitor
cannot show an exact color from your website, it will choose the
closest or mix the nearest two colors. This is called dithering.
The result can be something you did not want or expect.

The best way to avoid dithering is to optimize your site colors.
The best way to optimize your colors is to use the colors in a
216-color palette. Here is a good link that give a full example
on dithering and color palettes:

http://webreference.com/dev/graphics

You can also find additional information on dithering by
searching by the following words: dithering, avoid dithering and
halftones By designing a site with this in mind, your site will
appear as it should to all of your visitors.

Now that you have learned about dithering, let's learn how
colors evoke a broad array of emotions, and influence our
decision-making process every day. By using these nonverbal
clues to your advantage, you can influence how your visitors
feel about your site.

Colors and How to Use Them

The three primary colors are yellow, red and blue. The secondary
colors are orange, green and purple. The secondary colors are
the results of mixing two primary colors together. Yellow and
red will create orange. Yellow and blue will make green. Blue
and red will create purple. Of course, mixing secondary colors
with primary colors will further increase color variations.

Here are some of the emotions and moods commonly associated with
the more popular colors. Remember, these examples are broad
emotional definitions for each color.

Red:

Red is designed for the daring, persuasive and passionate.
It also represents "danger", "stop" or heat. Red can be a very
powerful motivator when used with proper corresponding words.
Words and phrases to highlight with red include: "Act Now",
"Stop", "Order today", "Red hot", "Don't miss out" or "Don't
miss this opportunity".

Blue:

This favorite color for many individuals promotes
trustworthiness, success, seriousness and calmness. Use blue in
the beginning or end of your sales pages. This should help to
encourage the trustworthiness of your site. Here are some words
and phases to use with blue: "Our history", "Our mission
statement", "Slow down", "Quiet", "Calm" and "Teamplayer".

Green:

Money, security and conservative emotions are evoked by
the use of green. Here are some examples to highlight with
green: "Order from us", "Secure", "We don't gamble with your
money", "Education" and "Your future".

Yellow:

Yellow is thought to be playful and associated with
movement. In most cases, use yellow in logos and banners and not
highlighting text. Yellow can be difficult to read on white and
certain other backgrounds. A few good words to highlight with
yellow are: "Hurry up", "Get it now", "Go" and "Fast".

Black:

Hopelessness and high tech can describe black. Black is
lifeless, however, it is the backbone of internet pages. You can
use black with any word or phase.

Purple:

Purple represents royalty and justice. Purple should be
used sparingly in website design, because it also promotes
ambiguity and uncertainty. Some words purple could highlight
include: "Law", "Fairness", "Hierarchy", "Family" and "Honor".
Neon colors: Neon colors should be used for sites with teenage
audiences.

Medium/neutral tones:

These colors should be used on sites with
an older target audience.

Colors speak their own language and evoke emotions instantly.
Use colors sparingly, yet intelligently, in the creation of your
website. Once you understand how to intertwine colors into your
site, your sales should increase.

About the author:
Andrew T. LaPointe is President and CEO of
www.youronlinebusiness.com. He is also the author of the
Internet course Your Online Business.com - A step-by-step Guide
to Building an Online Fortune. His site
www.youronlinebusiness.com is dedicated in assisting web
entrepreneurs generate an income from the Internet.