The color scheme of your site is the first thing that visitors notice. It’s also part of your branding. Choosing the best color scheme for your site involves knowing what colors mean to your target audience and matching those meanings to your content.
Matching Color to Content
It’s very important that you send a focused message to your website viewers. If your color scheme doesn’t match your message, readers will be confused, distrustful, or repulsed.
For example, deep blue creates a sense of authority on a topic, which is why you find a lot of news and corporate sites using that color. White indicates cleanliness, which is why health sites use it with only splashes of accent colors. Green indicates harmony, balance, and freshness and is used on a variety of sites including food, spas, and counseling.
It’s Not About You
Be careful of simply using your favorite colors on your site if they aren’t something your clients expect to be associated with your message. For instance, you wouldn’t use purple and yellow on a food site. There’s just nothing about it that says “food” instantly.
Combinations Matter
Some colors look great on anything other than a computer screen. Always keep in mind that your viewers actually have to read your content. Softening the color behind your text, and choosing a font color with good contrast is easy on the eyes and will help readers stay on your site longer.
Do Your Homework
Colors have a variety of meanings to different audiences. To ensure that you’re sending the intended message to your readers, do a little research first. See the full article on Choosing the Right Colors for Your Website that will help you learn what you need to know about color theory, combinations, meanings, and the psychological impact on your viewers. You’ll also find links to sites for trending color schemes and sites that will let you try different color combinations.
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