Winning Colours for Your Web Site
by Nina Menezes

Did you know that visitors form their first impression about your Web site within the first 10 seconds? And what role does colour play in a Web site and how does it affect us?

What role does colour play in a Web site and how does it affect us?
A Web site helps to communicate through the use of colours. Colours can portray positive or negative feelings. Negative colours can confuse visitors, hurt the credibility of your website and drive away customers. Negative colours can attract customers and turn prospects into buyers. Colours affect our mood and will have an effect on our visitors as well because certain colours bring up certain emotions in our brain.

What emotions do certain colours bring up?
Visitors respond psychologically to colours on your website. Colours are either warm or cool. Warm colours such as orange, yellow and brown convey cheerfulness and enthusiasm. Cool colours such as green, blue, pink and purple are peaceful and relaxing.

How do I choose the right colour?
A good rule of thumb is to select colors based upon the type of effect you'd like to achieve. For example, if your audience consists of new mothers and you are selling baby clothes, use soft blues and pinks. The colours you choose should create an inviting feeling and add personality to your site.

Using Colours
Once you have chosen the colours for your site, use the same colours throughout your site. Avoid using too many colours on your website as this will make your site look busy and confusing. Use light colours for backgrounds and darker colours for foreground text. Colours on your site should complement each other. Limit your colours to 2-3 colours. See colour combinations for Web site. A limited colour palette can be very appealing and add a sophisticated feeling to your Web site.

Colours and their significance

• Red indicates danger. It stimulates the mind and raises blood pressure. It conveys passion and excitement. Las Vegas is the city of red neon lights as it makes people gamble and take risks under the red lights.
• Blue is associated with peace and relaxation. Blues complement cool and pastel colours.
• Black is considered a heavy and depressing colour. Use of black as the dominant colour should be carefully considered.
• Brown conveys stability, simplicity, and comfort. It can be considered a drab colour as well.
• Green is easy on the eye; it has a calming effect. It is popular in hospitals
• Gray is a very conservative colour and conveys practicality, reliability and responsibility.
• Pink is considered a feminine colour.
• Purple conveys spirituality, royalty and mystery.
• Orange is a warm colour. Used in small amounts, it can make a site interesting and fun.
• Yellow is an eye-catching colour. Used in small amounts, it can be cheerful.
• White is the colour of purity and cleanliness.

Colour Combinations
Using bright red and bright blue on your Web site is not a good idea! Trying to focus on both bright colours will strain the eye. A popular colour combination on Web sites is a blue-and-white combination or different shades of blue, Blue represents peace, calmness and stability. People trust Web sites with blue colour more.

Your Web site can make a visitor feel welcome, relaxed, comfortable and generate trust with the right use of colours - just like an inviting comfortable home! Don't lose your Web site in a maze of million Web sites. Use colours effectively to draw your customers in and entice them to buy your product or service.

We've put together a web page showing some sample website colour combinations, feel free to borrow any of these colour schemes for your own work.

About The Author:
Nina Menezes is a professional web designer and consultant from Toronto, Ontario, specializing solutions for women in small businesses. Her eye-catching designs can be seen at Interdream Web Design (http://www.interdream-designs.com).