Spring into Color

Spring has finally arrived and, with it, lots of color abounds: vibrant orange poppies, luscious green grass, sunny yellow mums, and more (including allergenic pollen. Achoo!). And as you stare at Mother Nature's colorful creations you might be thinking about colors elsewhere...like perhaps in your website!

When you look at your online web presence, have you ever asked "why did I ever choose that color?" The colors we choose are often a combination of personal preference and the marketing and branding identity for our business, but many people don't realize that there's actually often a rationale behind certain colors in websites. And there's a name for it too -- color psychology.

Color psychology deals with the meaning behind various colors and the feelings they evoke. Many businesses take a strategic approach to their colors, like trying to figure out how to make us consumers feel like we're gonna make a lot of money with a particular service or how to super-size our fast food order.

If your website is not as vibrant or engaging as you'd like it to be, perhaps it's time to look at the color palette with which your website was painted. And here are some hints that can help you make your site more colorful:


Red -- A color that stimulates adrenalin, blood pressure and metabolism

Think about fire engines, wine, and even love (what color are roses and chocolate candy boxes?). If you ever wanted your website to catch attention, red is often a powerful choice. Perhaps this was the reasoning behind the red in branding websites by State Farm and CNN.


Orange -- Energy, creativity, happiness and activity

Orange is a great color for cooking. Think about the color of oranges (doesn't that make your mouth water?). Watch for this energetic, active color in websites like Yelp and Design ForSite.


Green: People often associate green with nature, growth, and freshness

Green is found in your local garden, park, and the veggie section in your local supermarket. And don't forget what's in your wallet! (Cha-ching!). Take a quick look at websites like Fidelity Investments and E-Trade and you'll find growing recurrences of green.


Blue: Intelligence, stability

Blue tends to be a calming, sedating color that has even been shown to decrease human appetite. Simply stop and stare at a clear blue sky or a deep blue ocean and you'll know what I mean. Blue is an obvious favorite of airline websites, cruise websites and even some health websites. Take a look at Jet Blue or Southwest Airlines or even Kaiser Permanente. And since big 'blue-chip' corporations may want to be portrayed as stable and full of purpose, blue is a perfect choice for IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Ameriprise Financial.


Yellow : This color portrays attention, happiness and energy

Roadblock signs, smiley faces, and yellow traffic lights (which to many drivers appears green). Perhaps this was the rationale behind the Human Rights Campaign's website and Yellowpages.com.

Purple -- The color of royalty and elegance

Regal clothing. Although dated, purple is still considered a royal color. Yahoo perhaps exudes this in its signature colors of purple and yellow.

White -- Innocence and purity

Simple examples include snow, clouds, bunny rabbits, Luke Skywalker, Gandolf the Great. Definitely a safe bet for web page backgrounds. And we didn't write the header "White -- Innocence and purity" in white for obvious reasons!

Black -- Elegant and luxurious

Limousines and tuxedos are good examples of black as are websites associated with these items. I remember once visiting a skin care website where the theme (in addition to purple) was black. I expected some definite royal luxurious care there (but I wouldn't have the green in my pocket!).

Ultimately, color is a personal preference (and even a cultural one for many people) and there is no exact correct color for a website. However, if you're at a loss for a starting color for your website or want to make some chromatic improvements, choosing your colors wisely like the vegetables you put on your plate can help a colorful, meaningful experience for both your site and your visitors.

Lee L. is passionate about the dream of true customer service. He is also the founder and CEO of Design ForSite, a San Jose web design firm specializing in websites and web consultations for small, medium and startup businesses that extols the dream of customer service, ethics, and a solid web product. Find out about our dream at www.designforsite.com.