Is colour important?

Colour runs through every aspect of our daily lives. The brightly coloured breakfast cereal packaging designed to help wake us up, the traffic lights that tell us when we’re safe and when we’re in danger. The brown and green packaging around our takeaway cup of coffee confirms we care about the environment. The bright red sports car looks sexy, alluring and dangerous. The soothing tranquil tones of a waiting room designed to calm the anxious.

Choosing the right colours for a website is an important task. Here’s a list of the main colours and a little about their meanings.

Tints & shades.

Adding white to a colour lightens it and is called a tint, adding black to a colour darkens it and is called a shade.

Red.

Red is the colour of passion, excitement and danger. Red grabs attention and calls people to action. It’s commonly used for warning signs and to signify danger. The brighter vibrant reds are best used as an accent colour to give a sense of urgency, while the darker shades give a rich powerful feel to a design.

Pink.

Pink is a tint of red, soft and delicate, it’s the colour of romance and love.

Orange.

Orange denotes enthusiasm, energy, creativity and fun. The brighter oranges are often associated with the citrus fruit of the same name, so can also mean health and freshness. The darker shades are linked with autumn and signify change. Orange demands attention without shouting about it.

Yellow.

Associated with sunshine, happiness, alertness and warmth. The bright citrus yellows also mean freshness and cleanliness. The lighter tints promote a calmer happiness. A useful colour to create excitement and draw attention.

Green.

Green is a calm earthy colour. The darker shades are more natural where it represents new life, abundance and growth. Bright fresh greens promote energy and freshness.

Blue.

Blue is a complex colour. The darker shades are business like, loyal, trustworthy and reliable. The lighter tints are more relaxed and calming. Bright blues have energy and are refreshing. Dark blue is a good choice for a business seeking loyalty from its customers.

Purple.

Purple has a long association with royalty. The darker shades represent luxury, opulence and wealth and are useful for highlighting a premium service. The lighter tints can convey romance and springtime. Purple is the combination of red and blue, so inherits some attributes from both colours.

White.

This colour is associated with purity and simplicity. White is a neutral background that allows the other colours to have their say. White is associated with the medical and care professions where it portays cleanliness and goodness. Often used in minimalist designs to help lighten designs and add contrast.

Black.

Black is associated with strength, elegance and intrigue. Black is a neutral colour so is commonly used for typography, it can be used to create a high end feel to your website or to make a design more edgy. Black makes a good backdrop for photographs where it adds contrast.

Grey.

Grey is reliable, business like and sophisticated. It’s also reserved and neutral. Light greys can be substitutes for white, while the dark greys can be used when black is too strong.

Brown.

Brown represents earthiness, it is natural, primitive and dependable. The darker shades are often used as a background, adding a warmth and wholesomeness to designs. The ligher tones along with creams lend a more conservative and elegant feeling.