Did you know the color scheme you select for your Web site or online ad is just as important as the content and design? Humans have a strong emotional response to color, so it's imperative to select colors that stimulate the response you're looking for.
This brief article, Welcome to the World of Colors, summarizes how various colors affect our state of mind. Red, for instance, stimulates anger and increases tension, and so is not a good choice for a luxury resort Web site.
For an in-depth analysis, here is an excellent article from Canright Design, Emotional Impact of Color. Read through the color descriptions and discover which color supports and enhances the message you're trying to send.
If you're looking for even more information, try Color: Messages & Meanings, a book designed to help you select the right Pantone color (and there are a lot of them) for print or online materials.
Are you color challenged, one of those people who has trouble picking a shirt that matches your pants? Several Web design tools are available to help you select a color scheme for your Web site or landing page. This Color Scheme Generator is easy to use - give it a try.
Readability is a crucial issue for Web design, and color plays a decisive role. Joe Dolson discusses in detail why light text on a dark background is a poor choice. Important information for those of us who tend to go overboard with color. This excellent article from Hooker & Perron with an historical theme is packed with examples of various text/color combinations. This blog post from 2006, Light text on dark background vs. readability, includes an extensive and instructive conversation on the topic. If nothing else, we see that color selection cannot be reduced to an exact science - too many variables.
