Color in Web Design
Chapter 2 – Color
Psychology of Color * Color psychology – Field of study that’s devoted to analyzing the emotional and behavioral effects produced by colors and color combinations.
* Color Associations * Red - Has the reputation for stimulating adrenaline and blood pressure. Known to increase human metabolism: its an exciting, dramatic, and rich color. * Orange - Very active and energetic color. Promotes happiness, and represents sunshine, enthusiasm, and creativity. More informal and less corporate-feeling than red. Catches peoples eye since it is not often seen in nature. * Yellow - Active color, being highly visible. Also associated with happiness. Signature color of smiley faces. Too much yellow can be overpowering. * Green- Most commonly associated with nature. Soothing color that symbolizes growth, freshness, and hope. Easier on the eyes than yellow, orange or red. Also can represent, wealth, stability, and education and when set on a black background, it pops, giving it a techy feel. * Blue - Often cited as the universally favorite color. Symbolizes openness, intelligence, and faith and has been found to have calming effects. Associated with the sky and sea. * Purple - Historically has been associated with royalty and power. Purple is often connected with flowers, gemstones, and wine. Balances the stimulation of red and the calming effects of blue. Purple is least used in websites, so if you want to stand out, use purple. * White - Western cultures consider it to be the color of perfection, light, and purity. Chinese associate white with death and mourning. Such cultural distinctions should be considered when using color associations of your target market. * Black - Can be a color of power, elegance, and strength depending how its used. * Establish three word associations for each color and you’ll gain a good idea of how that color is widely perceived. * Color
Psychology of Color * Color psychology – Field of study that’s devoted to analyzing the emotional and behavioral effects produced by colors and color combinations.
* Color Associations * Red - Has the reputation for stimulating adrenaline and blood pressure. Known to increase human metabolism: its an exciting, dramatic, and rich color. * Orange - Very active and energetic color. Promotes happiness, and represents sunshine, enthusiasm, and creativity. More informal and less corporate-feeling than red. Catches peoples eye since it is not often seen in nature. * Yellow - Active color, being highly visible. Also associated with happiness. Signature color of smiley faces. Too much yellow can be overpowering. * Green- Most commonly associated with nature. Soothing color that symbolizes growth, freshness, and hope. Easier on the eyes than yellow, orange or red. Also can represent, wealth, stability, and education and when set on a black background, it pops, giving it a techy feel. * Blue - Often cited as the universally favorite color. Symbolizes openness, intelligence, and faith and has been found to have calming effects. Associated with the sky and sea. * Purple - Historically has been associated with royalty and power. Purple is often connected with flowers, gemstones, and wine. Balances the stimulation of red and the calming effects of blue. Purple is least used in websites, so if you want to stand out, use purple. * White - Western cultures consider it to be the color of perfection, light, and purity. Chinese associate white with death and mourning. Such cultural distinctions should be considered when using color associations of your target market. * Black - Can be a color of power, elegance, and strength depending how its used. * Establish three word associations for each color and you’ll gain a good idea of how that color is widely perceived. * Color