How can I choose the best colours to use on my website design?

Do you feel differently towards different colours? Do you feel more vibrant on certain days simply because of the colour of the clothes you are wearing? Your website design gives the same impression - based on the colours used it can come across as vibrant, relaxing or subdued.

If your business or organisation already has a colour scheme - a corporate image based on a logo and letterhead, a set of colours you use in your marketing, or simply in the office, then it is often a good idea to request your website design to be based around these colours as this will ensure consistency. Existing clients may be accustomed to your colour theme, and they will therefore feel more comfortable browsing a website with a similar design.

Different colours can induce feelings of excitement, serenity, joyfulness, anxiety and calmness. These factors need to be taken into account when selecting colours for your website design, e.g.

• Red is stimulating, increasing heart rate, brainwave activity and respiration;
• Pink has a soothing effect;
• Orange stimulates the appetite and reduces fatigue;
• Yellow stimulates the memory and raises blood pressure and pulse rate;
• Green is soothing relaxing with a calming effect;
• Blue has a cooling, calming effect, lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

In addition to feelings and effects associated with different colours, a variety of responses can be caused by website design colours - both positive and negative - and should therefore be chosen carefully when designing your website. For example, certain colours are said to encourage more buying, and could therefore be beneficial in a website that sells products online.

White is a safe choice as a background colour for a website and is easy on the eyes, while darker colours such as black can be used to create a dramatic impression. Colours that cause problems in visually-impaired website visitors should be avoided, and target audiences should also be taken into consideration when choosing website design colours, e.g. younger visitors can be motivated by saturated and trendy colours, and different countries have preferences for the use of different colours.

Our specialised team of website designers are constantly monitoring trends in the use of different colours in website designs to ensure that we keep up to date on the latest statistics in these areas.