|
|
home > graphic
design > design
principles > choosing color
choosing color
- Choose a palette of colors to base the design on
-- 4 is sufficient
- This may sound extreme, but you can use varying
tones of the same shade to highlight
- For example, this web site uses different
shades of purple and teal, as well as
dark blue for text
- Always use web
safe hues for the main design elements, especially
if these are going to contain any textual navigation
- This is because non-web safe colors will dither
(go "bitty" - made up of two or more similar
shades)
- If in doubt, check your colors after reducing your
screen color depth to 256 colors
- In Windows - go Start > Settings > Control
Panel > Display > Click Settings and change
the colors to 256
- Place your chosen colors next to each other in
a graphics software program to see if they work together
- Some web
safe colors create "noise" (appear to
move/blend together) when placed next to each other
- try to avoid this
tips on choosing color
first impressions
- Think about the impression you want to give
- Modern, welcoming, cosy, corporate, professional,
fun etc
- Choose colors which match these
- For example:
- Modern colors are clean, bright, such as blue
and yellow
- Welcoming or cosy colors could be oranges,
yellows, greens
- Corporate styles are clean - blue, grey, white
for example
- A fun web site for kids could include the
primary colors red, blue and yellow
color psychology
Think about color psychology - how color makes
people feel
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| |
Red symbolizes passion, love, danger, heat, power,
strength, a little can be stimulating. Stimulates the
appetite, by increasing metabolism.
|
Too much could be percieved as aggressive. Also symbolizes
danger, fire, blood, war, violence.
Remember to consider color-blind
users - red/green color
blindness is the most common
|
| |
Pink can symbolize femininity and youth. |
Naivity, weakness. |
| |
Orange is percieved as vibrant, warm, cosy and
autumnal. Has been a very in vogue color for web sites. |
Attention-seeking. |
| |
Yellow can symbolize sunshine, happiness, growth,
gold and "newness". |
Can also symbolize dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal,
jealousy, deceit, illness, hazard. |
| |
Green signifies nature, the environment, life,
growth, good luck, youth, spring, fertility, religion. |
Also symbolizes jealousy, envy and misfortune. See color-blind
issues. Considered bad when used for packaging. |
| |
Blue symbolizes calm, peaceful, water, sky, harmony,
therapeutic, trust, confidence, cleanliness and loyalty.
Gives people energy. Safe color to use in design. |
Sadness, cold, depression, suppresses the appetite. |
| |
Purple symbolizes royalty, spirituality, passion
and love. |
Cruelty, arrogance, mourning. |
| |
Brown is neutral, earthy, outdoors, warm. |
Dirty, dull. |
| |
Grey/gray can be modern, intelligent, solid,
clean. |
Old age, sadness, boring, dull. |
| |
White is symbolic of cleanliness, innocence,
space, purity, chastity, simplicity, peace, winter/snow,
goodness, marriage/virginial. |
Death (in Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile. |
| |
Black is associated with power, elegance,
magic, mystery, night, sophistication, solid and powerful. |
Death (in Western cultures), witches (black
magic), fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, sadness, remorse,
anger, mourning, death (Western cultures). |
color combinations
Think about which color combinations work
| |
|
|
|
Black, white, grey/gray and red |
| |
|
Red and white |
| |
|
Orange and purple |
| |
|
Purple and yellow |
| |
|
Green and purple |
| |
|
Blue and yellow |
| |
|
|
Blue, grey/gray and white |
| |
|
Green and browns (be careful or color-blind
issues) |
| |
|
Teal and purple/lilac |
|
navigation