The concept of good design represents the sum of several elements, all of them realized in a professional manner and then blended together. The final result is beautiful and functional at the same time. From this perspective, it is simple to comprehend that the quality of a design depends on more than just the components on their own. A very important factor that contributes to the overall aspect of a website in a decisive manner is the color scheme; this has the power to transform a decent project into a great one.
Colors may represent a good tool to manipulate people or have an influence on them, but a real art is required when it comes to selecting the best combination. Even though there are countless colors, unfortunately, not all combinations are great; in the majority of the cases, the combination of two beautiful colors might lead to a disastrous result. As we are living in a very colorful world, this means that the color theory is very important and any web designer must know how to properly blend colors.
In order to create appealing projects, specialists have tried to come up with unique color combinations and, nowadays, the color theory is a huge domain, with amazing applications in the field of web design but also in everyday life. The most used classification of colors is the one that divides them in two categories: warm and cool.
Warm colors include the tones ranging from red to yellow (this includes orange, brown or pink) and, as the name goes, these have the power to give us the feeling of warmth. The warm colors are energizing and positive, quite probable because of the Sun and fire symbolizing them.
Cool colors are green, blue and violet and all these have a calming and relaxing effect over people, but at the same time they are perceived as being more impersonal.
It’s worldwide recognized that women make a clearer distinction between colors while men are less careful of this aspect. There is a reason why men do not pay attention to the various colors; many of the colors are born from a base color, in addition to white or black. When a color is obtained by adding white, it is known as tint, while the addition of black color results in a shade.
Navigating on Internet, it is easy to notice financial institution using the blue color on the official websites. The majority of the call-to-action websites have the red color or they are colored in stringent tones, while environmental institutions use earth-like tones. The examples that were presented stand as proof: blue has a calming effect and it inspired trust (being required for this kind of activities), while red has a stimulating effect and it gives the necessary energy to take decisions. Earth tones match the idea of caring about the future of the planet. From what has been said so far, you can probably understand that there is a motivation behind any color combination.
The designer has the difficult job of selecting the proper colors for a project, considering the cultural and social differences that exist in various locations, sometimes on other continents. A color might stand as a symbol for something in Europe but it may represent another symbol in Asia. Choosing the wrong color can represent an offence for some people, the result being negative exposure. The ABC of colors, meaning the various symbols that they represent around the globe, is mandatory to be known by web designers and here is a good guide to follow. Not all the colors have been presented, but you will find the most common that can be used for different projects.
Red is a powerful color having multiple meanings, even within the same region or in the same group of people. It is a symbol of love and passion (if you have offered something to your lover, it might have been a red heart). Red is a color that stimulates blood pressure, therefore it is understandable why the call-to-action buttons are red, but it also means danger, many warning signs being usually designed using red and white. Interestingly, in Japan the red color means life, while in India it symbolizes purity.
It is recommended to be used in projects but too much red may increase the level of tension and it will not be easy on the eyes.
If someone is not certain which color he or she must use, then blue is the best solution; statistics show that blue is the preferred color of most people. The blue color is worldwide accepted as a symbol of calmness, wisdom and quality.
In Egypt, yellow is the color symbolizing mourning. Europeans see it as a symbol of happiness while Asians consider it a regal color. Besides that, the Japanese appreciate yellow as a symbol of courage.
Worldwide, yellow has various meanings: it is considered a source of energy (take the example of the Sun), it accelerates the learning process; plus, it is considered as reflecting imagination, joy, happiness, optimism and humor.
It’s impossible to not associate green with nature and the environment;
In some regions, it is associated with death, but once the dollars are green, it is clear that it is also associated with money.
Ireland is a country where green is very common.
Other meanings of green are calmness, good luck, diplomacy, moderation but also envy or lack of experience.
There is no other color to express more obviously simplicity and cleanliness; if you want to highlight something, then it is definitely recommend that you do it on a white background. In order to be convinced, you can always go online and check out the product images in various online stores.
In Europe, the brides wear white dresses but, be careful, in some African countries it is the color of mourning.
Black is the most powerful neutral color and it has a lot of meanings. Chinese people consider it to be the color of high quality products, but in Europe it is a symbol of mourning and even mental depression.
Other significances of black are mystery, elegancy, sophistication etc. Any of these meanings is made in association with other colors; a black and red color combination has a very different meaning from a black and white combination.
In the end, the main conclusion is that a color may be a good friend but in some situations, it’s the deadliest enemy and it is better to use it for you, not against you.
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