When color is applied to a site with the user in mind, it can impact user experience, create mood, influence purchasing decisions and evoke emotions. Color perception is part of the human visual system, and all colors interact differently with our neurons depending on the amount of light entering the eye.
At ArtVersion, we see color as a fundamental aspect of web design, as important as much as typography, layout and on-page interactions.
Erin Lentz, Executive Director of Design
Color creates the page’s feel, and it influences how users perceive and interact with the content. The contrast of the color elements against surrounding objects and backgrounds, can make your content illegible, or even impossible to read, for users with visual impairments.
The Psychological Impact of Color
Colors evoke emotions and can significantly affect how users feel when they visit a website. For instance, blue is often associated with trust and professionalism, which is why it’s popular on corporate websites and among financial institutions. Red, on the other hand, can evoke excitement and urgency, making it ideal for call-to-action buttons. Red is a bold color and works very well for brand identities, like Coca-Cola, State Farm and McDonald’s with their iconic red against golden arches. Even though we often see the Coca-Cola logo in black nowadays, black projects a modern and minimal feel. Black against white or very light backgrounds is the most legible combination and also very timeless. Understanding the psychological impact of color is crucial in selecting a palette that aligns with your brand’s message and values.
Creating a Cohesive Color Scheme
Harmony and balance are what we aim to achieve with any website design. When we work with brands that already have primary and secondary color palettes, these need to be considered carefully. The balance in utilizing color palettes that work in combination needs to be considered for optimal results. Just because a primary color calls for yellow, the site doesn’t need to have it as the primary color. Exploring a more toned-down palette for a site and using the primary color for accent elements may work better, allowing for consistency while still projecting the authenticity of the brand. Uniformity and how the color is presented on the page are of higher importance than the intensity of how often color is applied in the layout or the amount of color displayed.
Contrast and Accessibility
While aesthetics in web design are important, the accessibility of the page should never be overlooked. The choice of colors can create something accessible, and bad color combinations, as attractive as they may look, can make entire blocks or even the whole page completely inaccessible. High contrast between text and background colors improves readability. Tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker can help ensure that your color choices actually meet web accessibility standards. Accessibility on the web is a must; it makes a huge impact on web usability, making a website inclusive and user-friendly for a wide range of users. The rule of thumb is that even though the primary corporate palette calls for green and blue of similar intensity and hue, you don’t need to combine those colors in the same area or block, which would create accessibility issues. Instead, work around the site by promoting the colors identified in the brand standards while ensuring text is in colors that provide sufficient contrast. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 is needed to ensure text is still readable for people who may have color blindness.
Using Color to Guide Users Through the Site
Strategic use of color can guide users through your website and highlight important information. We call this user journey and carefully plan user pathways to achieve optimal balance for user experience purposes. For example, using a distinct color for call-to-action buttons can make them stand out, encouraging users to click. Similarly, color coding certain areas with different colors can indicate different types of content or sections, helping users navigate the site more intuitively. Once a user’s eye is trained that one color represents one type of content, finding general information or actions becomes much more natural.
The Role of Whitespace
Whitespace, or negative space, is often overlooked but plays a crucial role in a balanced color scheme. Whitespace is frequently ignored because it can go unnoticed by an untrained eye. But, it gives elements room to breathe and prevents the design from feeling cluttered. Effective use of whitespace can enhance the impact of your chosen colors and improve the overall user experience.
Staying On-Brand
Consistency is key in branding design language, and this applies to corporate web design as well. We need to ensure that color choices align with the brand identity and are used consistently across all pages. It’s important to consider that the same color values may look different when placed next to or on top of different backgrounds. For instance, red on a white background may appear as a completely different hue than red displayed on a dark or black background, where it can look much brighter.
While it’s important to stay true to your brand, being aware of current design trends can keep your website looking fresh and modern. Trends such as bold, vibrant colors or subtle, muted palettes can be incorporated in a way that complements your existing design.
Conclusion
By carefully selecting and applying colors, we create web designs that are not only visually appealing but also functional and accessible. Whether you’re looking to evoke emotion, guide user behavior, or reinforce your brand identity, the right color palette can make all the difference.
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