Choosing a color scheme for your brand might seem easy, but then the decision process starts. What color reads "bold" but not "aggressive"? What about "trendy," but classic enough to outlast the year? The options are quite literally endless, but here is how you can choose a color that will represent your brand well.
First of all, why is a color scheme important for your website? Defined as a collection of colors chosen for a website design, a color scheme is necessary to provide a proper identity for your brand. This means no matter where your brand is featured (business cards, website, social media, advertisements, etc.), your potential customers will recognize it as your brand. Plus, it helps give design inspiration to your web designer! Some good examples of a successful color schemes are McDonald's red and yellow, Subway's green and yellow, and yes, even Barney's purple and green. As soon as you see these colors, you almost can't associate them with anything else. But what color scheme is right for your brand?
Generally, when you start thinking of colors to use, you want to focus on a two key factors: color combinations and color psychology.
Color Combinations
Everything having to do with picking color schemes (the right way) starts with the color wheel. Primary colors are the base colors on the color wheel, consisting of red, yellow, and blue. Secondary colors are created by mixing the primary colors together, making orange, green, and purple. Lastly, stick with me, tertiary colors are also known as "middle-colors," which are made from combining a primary color with a secondary color.
Now that we know how color combinations come alive, a few of these color schemes can help you pick colors that create a great first impression for you brand. An analogous color scheme involves colors that are side by side. This scheme can create a rich, modern, monochromatic look. A complimentary color scheme consists of colors across from each other on the color wheel, such as green and red, or blue and orange. Color combinations like these create contrast that can stand out against other brands and grab the attention of potential clients. Lastly, a triadic color scheme is any three colors located 120 degrees from each other on the color wheel. Choosing this scheme opens up many more color options, as it includes colors in between the three color groups on the color wheel.
Color Psychology
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a color scheme is the emotional aspect a color can bring out in a potential client's mind, known as color psychology. For example, if you are a spa owner with the goal to make your customers feel relaxed, you aren't going to want to use red on your website, which is known to increase respiration rate and raise blood pressure. Choosing a color scheme revolving around blue may make more sense as it attracts peace and trust, which is significantly more aligned with the emotional goals of a spa. Alternatively, a website for a gym would want to use more energetic colors like orange and yellow to increase endorphins (happy hormones) and generate muscle energy, which properly align with fitness goals.
I know what you're thinking..."holy wow there's a lot to consider when picking my color scheme." However, everything worthwhile takes time! The thought and research you put in initially when choosing your color scheme will pay off when your brand is represented to potential customers the way you envision it to be. When the orders start rolling in, be sure to say a quick "thank you" to your color scheme for giving you that amazing first impression!
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