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Using too many colors or the wrong combination of colors could
alienate or turn off customers completely. Out of any form of
non-verbal communication, color is the quickest way to
communicate a message and meaning.  Many studies have been
done on the psychology of color and the subconscious emotions
that they create. Studies have shown that color can help
improve recall, comprehension, and understanding by 75%.  In
fact, color accelerates the ability to learn by 20% by keeping
readers focused and improving retention.  

Choose Colors with Care.  

Marketers spend oodles of time and money determining the
colors to best market their product: the colors that will
prove the highest amount of return on investment.  You may
want to hire a professional web designer to help you.  Make
sure the web designer you hire is not just a programmer, but
also a graphic designer and/or marketer.  After all, the
reason why 99% of all websites fail is because it was created
by a technician, rather than a marketing expert.

So, What Colors are Best for Your Website?  

That is hard to say.  Again, you may want to hire a
professional to help you.  However, the following tips will
help you understand the underlying meaning behind color so you
may be guided to make the right choice.   Keep in mind that
depending on its value or intensity, one color can give very
different emotions.

Red - Stimulating. Exciting. Energizing. Appetizing.  When you
eye sees red, chemical responses in your body cause your blood
pressure, pulse rate, and adrenaline to increase.  Fire engine
red is more energetic than a more traditional burgundy.

Pink - Happy. Romantic. Spirited. Youthful.  Best used for
less expensive and trendy products.  Vibrant pinks are common
in the cosmetic industry.  Bubble gum pink can be considered
immature, but fuchsia or magenta are considered more
sophisticated.  

Orange - Friendly. Adventurous. Energizing. Inviting.  Of all
the colors, orange is the hottest.  Similar to red’s arousing
effect, orange is often associated with bright sunsets or fall
foliage.  Orange contains the drama of red with the cheeriness
of yellow.  Neon orange tends to be load and is the most
disliked color, but a more tempered vivid orange is highly
effective for point-of-purchase graphics and specials.

Yellow - Warm. Sunny. Cheerful. Vibrant.  Yellow is equivalent
to enlightenment and imagination.  This color is especially
effective for food service industries because of the –
association to bananas, custards and lemons.   Pale yellow is
an excellent choice for point-of-purchase materials (materials
at the cash register or reception area) because the eye sees
the highly reflective yellow before it notices any other
color.

Brown - Rich. Sheltering. Durable. Sensible.  Brown is an
earth tone and is related to the earth’s nurturing qualities
and stability.  Generally speaking, brown provokes a positive
response, but the wrong shade could lead to customers relating
it to dirty, which could be detrimental for a product in the
fashion industry, for example.  Brown works well with food
products since customers also relate it to root beer, coffee
and chocolate.

Blue - Cool. Trusting. Serene. Consistent.   Similar to the
earthy color brown, blue is related to the sky and water, both
dependable constants in our lives.  Blue is an ideal color for
websites, especially e-commerce websites.  Many banks and
financial institutions use blue in their marketing because it
makes customers feel more trusting.  Blue also can generate a
cold, distant, corporate feeling, the opposite of generating a
personal relationship with the customer.
 
Green - Refreshing.  Healing. Fresh.  Soothing. Green offers
the most variety of choices out of all the colors of the
rainbow.  Green works well for personal hygiene or beauty
products because of its soothing and flattering tones.  Most
people link green to nature; they think of foliage or grass.  
Mint green is seen as fresh while bright greens are associated
with grass.  Emerald greens are elegant and deep greens are
linked to money and prestige.  Green is also combined nicely
with many other colors and can also work as a neutral.

Purple - Elegant. Sensual. Regal. Mysterious.  Purple is seen
as sensual and spiritual as it combines the sexuality of red
and the sereneness of blue.  It is best used with creative
products, new products, or cutting edge products.  Deep purple
is associated with regal sophistication and lavender has a
more subtle nostalgic appeal.

Neutrals - Classic. Quality.  Natural.  Timeless.  The neutral
tones of beige, gray and taupe emulate the psychological
message of dependability and timelessness.  They are regarded
as safe and non-offensive and will not go out-of-date as they
are always in style.  

White - Pure.  Bright.  Pristine.  Simple.  While white can
signify clean elegance, it can also be considered generic and
stark, unless you have stylish graphics to compliment the
white.  

Black – Strong. Classic. Mysterious. Powerful.  Black is most
closely associated with the night.  Black is seen as powerful,
dramatic, elegant and expensive.  In food packaging, a
customer will actually pay more for a gourmet image.  Although
black is associated with mourning, its positive associations
far outweigh its negative.  Warning: too much black can be
overkill.  

In conclusion, choosing the right colors for your website is
an important decision.  Use these tips and hire an expert if
you need help!

--------------------------

Christie Turley is a web marketing expert and author of the
Not-So-Dumb Blond Internet Guides. RATE YOUR WEBSITE with her
complimentary online Web Site Diagnostic tool and BOOST your
Web Profits: http://www.NotSoDumbBlond.com/web-diagnostic.htm

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