It might all sound like pop-psychology and hocus-pocus, but there is real psychology at work in how colours affect the way users approach your website design. This isn’t as simple or powerful as “red=angry” or “blue=calm”, but the tones, hues and saturations used in your website design can certainly have an impact on your browsers. In this article we’ll be looking at the effect that colour has on your website design and whether or not it’s worth keeping colour in mind when putting your site together.
Saturation
The saturation of the colours in your website design is one of the most measurable factors in the world of colour psychology. As a rule, the higher the saturation of a particular colour, the stronger the viewer’s emotional and physical response will be. Bold colours will generate a far stronger response from users – whether that response is positive or negative can depend on the colour in question.
This makes using highly saturated colour in your website design a risky move. If it pays off, you could generate a really positive, excited response from your user but, if you pick an unfortunate shade, you risk putting them right off!
A smart, bold colour choice will create a really strong, memorable impression on your visitor, which is great for your brand. Equally, too many very highly saturated colours can create a kind of colour overload, making your site feel hectic, stressful and more confusing than it really is – the key is to keep it simple and use just one or two bold colours.
The colours themselves
So, if this is the case, which colours are going to create the impression you want from your website design and which are going to send your visitors sprinting in the opposite direction? It’s really all down to our everyday associations and, if you take a little time to think about it, it is all common sense.
For example, brown is a warm, natural colour. It brings to mind wood – which is both natural and used in furniture. It is a safe colour which suggests warmth, sincerity and comfort. Meanwhile, black is typically associated with sophistication, power, sexuality, seriousness etc.
A load of old nonsense?
Well, not really. It is possible that the real power of colour in website design gets overstated from time to time, yet it does have an effect and it is well worth bearing this in mind when you create your site. Sticking to a few basic tips will help you to use colour to your advantage:
- Keep it simple
Overcomplicating your colour palate is a sure-fire way to put visitors off. It looks messy, confusing, overstimulating and will completely distract your users from the real purpose of your website.
- Use your common sense
Before settling on a colour scheme just have a quick think about all the possible associations your selection might conjure up. For example, if you’re selling toothpaste, brown, black and yellow are probably not the best colour choices.
- Create a strong theme
Use one or two strong colours to your advantage. A memorable theme will keep your website design fresh in your visitors’ minds and help you create a strong brand image.
