COLOR PSYCHOLOGY AND WEB DESIGN

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY AND WEB DESIGN. As one of the keys to the attractiveness and success of a particular masterpiece of painting is the author’s ability to work with color, so web designers today manage to achieve a certain emotional perception of sites by users. In turn, this contributes to the greater interest of visitors, their level of trust in the company’s resources and increase profits.

Color Theory. Highlights.

The use of colors and their combinations for commercial and business purposes is based on the theory of color or the psychological and emotional perception of color by a person. Proper color design is much more than just decoration. It is the color scheme in the design of pages that can play a decisive role in achieving the goals set for the Internet resource by correcting the perception of users of web pages.

In general, the color theory in web design is based on three components that open up an abyss of opportunities and a wide field for experimentation for the designer in developing the interface:

Contrast
Addition
Resonance

The use of sharply contrasting colors and shades with each other allows emphasizing the sharpness, piquancy, importance of individual elements or information. Contrasting shades, i.e. diametrically opposed, are selected using the color wheel or wheel. In order to select a contrasting pair for a particular shade, just select the appropriate segment on the color wheel, and then select the corresponding segment on the opposite side.
Complementary are colors and shades that do not conflict with each other but emphasize, capable of enhancing the effect of each other. Complementary colors are also matched by the color wheel. Each color has 2 additions, located before and after the primary color, which can be any of the scales. As an example, we can cite the following: If the main color is lilac, then the colors that complement it will be pink located before it in the circle, and the next blue after it.

It involves the use of game techniques for the selection of color and tints combinations of one gamut – bright and warm (for example, yellows, oranges, reds and their shades) or cold and dark (for example, purple, blue, green and shades). So warm bright colors, especially in their combination, are emotionally perceived as energetic, stimulate to action, and cold ones are able to relax, calm, concentrate. That is, the colors of one gamut resonate with each other, enhancing the emotional effect.

Color And Emotions.

It has long been proven that a particular color is capable of exerting a certain emotional and psychological effect on a person. The task of a web designer is to comprehend and effectively apply this art of influence on users of the World Wide Web by creating the necessary atmosphere for a particular site using color design.

However, there is a nuance in this theory, which is also worth considering when designing web pages. The psychological characteristics of the emotional perception of colors and their combinations largely depend on the characteristics of culture and mentality. Fortunately, there are not many such cultural groups, and they are large.

Western culture is characterized by the following main features of the emotional perception of colors.

Red Color.

Red is one of the most striking, eye-catching, stimulating colors in the palette. Red is an undisguised powerful energy charge that can motivate, force, arouse.

The red color is emotionally perceived as the personification of youth, strength, power, importance.

Red is an excellent choice when it is necessary to attract attention, highlight important, warn, encourage to move in the necessary direction. However, red in excessive amounts can cause hyperstimulation, prompting aggression, so the designer should be careful with the number of especially bright shades of red.

Orange Color.

Sufficiently bright, noticeable, warming orange color, depending on the intensity of the shade can cause the user a whole gamut of emotions.

Used as the main one in the design, the orange color stimulates and fuels the user’s interest, providing an invigorating effect.

The emotional and associative coloring of the orange gamut is the following – it is vivacity, energy, joy, enthusiasm, movement, creativity.

Yellow.

Yellow is perhaps the most universal color of the palette, associated with happiness, the sun, enthusiasm, archaism (in his pain dark calm shades). Yellow energizes, but gently while creating a feeling of comfort. Dark shades of yellow and the color of gold arouse curiosity, provide the user with a sense of antiquity, stability, wisdom, give confidence in the credibility and professionalism of the company.

Green Color.

Green is a rather extraordinary, complex color with a double character of blue and yellow. At the same time, green is also distinguished by its own bright disposition, being associated with growth, nature, opening up opportunities, as well as the theme of finance, success, abundance (darker, more saturated tones).

By itself, the green color appears in the palette as a bridge between the cold and warm colors. At the same time, it has a relaxing and pacifying effect of blue shades and the energy and warmth of yellow.

Blue Color.

The emotional coloring of blue depends on the tone. So light shades of blue can cause a feeling of calm, openness and security, while dark tones are associated with reliability, stability, an experience that can be trusted, and some kind of spleen. This allows us to attribute blue to universal colors.

Purple.

Violet is the color of grandeur, luxury, romance conveyed by light shades, as well as secrets and mysticism, with which darker saturated tones of violet are associated. So the purple hue evokes an emotional sense of an atmosphere of generosity and wealth. From a more delicate lavender, it is romantic.

Black Color.

Black is a neutral, but very strong color, associated with sophistication, restraint, power. Being present on any site and combining with other colors, black is able to evoke differently or emphasize emotions and associations. Black may also be the dominant color in the design, however, the danger of its excessive use is that the page may be associated with evil and nervousness in the visitor.

The moderate use of black for the design of individual blocks and elements of the site creates a feeling of sophistication, conciseness, minimalism, elegance, style among visitors to the resource.

White Color.

White – traditionally considered the color of virtue, purity, simplicity. A great option for the background of sites made in a minimalist design.

An essential feature characteristic only of white is the fact that white most favorably and effectively emphasizes all other colors, emotionally resonating with them.

Grey Color.

The neutrality of gray does not negate the emotional effect that it is capable of. Gray is associated with formality, melancholy, neutrality, sadness, restraint.

Gray in its various shades is an amazing game of white and black, giving one or another interesting effect. In addition, several different shades of gray look interesting in the design, and the combination of gray with a juicy bright color of the palette looks noticeable, bright, fresh, stylish.

Beige Color.

The beige color can also be classified as neutral since in itself it is quite inexpressive and dull. However, beige goes well with other colors, taking on their character, but allowing you to dilute the overall picture, avoiding excessiveness and excessive saturation.

Beige is good both as a background and as a second color. Light tones of beige look modern and fresh, darker ones convey a sense of tradition and earthiness.

Ivory.

The extraordinary color in the palette from milk to cream is able to convey the same emotions as white, only giving them more softness. Ivory is associated with simplicity, elegance, and comfort, and in the design of web pages, used instead of white, can soften the contrast between dark colors.

Color Selection.

The design of any site involves the selection of colors, or a combination of colors and tones in order to achieve a particular emotional subconscious effect on the visitor. There are various ways of choosing colors, however, the triad, the double complementary system and the choice of analog colors are considered the most effective, harmonious and used.

Triad.

The triad, as the name implies, is a system of 3 harmonizing colors. The choice of colors is carried out according to the color wheel containing 12 color options, according to the principle of an equilateral triangle. This is the most balanced system, combining the advantages of resonance and complement effect without complex contrasts.

Double complementary system
This system involves the use of 4 colors, also selected in a color wheel. Of these, 2 colors are contrasting, and 2 are complementary. Finding a harmonious version of translating such a gamut into practice is more difficult. Finding colors is not difficult. To do this, you must select the first color, and the second will be contrasting for it. The third color will be located next to the first, acting complementary. The fourth is contrasting for the third.

Analog Colors.

This is the so-called sequential system, involving the choice of three, usually complementary colors in the color wheel. The combination of analog colors and the game of tones allows you to experiment with calling the necessary emotional effect for users.