How to Pick the Right Color Scheme for Your Website
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How to Pick the Right Color Scheme for Your Website
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Selecting the color scheme is one of the most important aspects of Web design. Select an appealing layout with the perfect colors and your visitors will reward you with more page views and return visits. Get them wrong and you could cost yourself time, visitors and possibly even paying customers.
The goal to aim for in selecting the appropriate colors for a Website is to keep it simple, easy on the eyes, and very easy to read. Avoid clashing colors and flashing tags, as these things tend to make a Website hard on the eyes and very unappealing.
In addition, visitors don’t want to have to highlight text just to be able to read it, and they certainly won’t put in the extra effort to continue browsing if doing so isn’t as effortless as possible.
What You Should Know Before You Begin
Selecting colors can be a simple task, so long as you take the time to prepare before you jump in and test the water.
Do you plan to use a company logo or related photo in your Website header? If so, these should be taken into consideration when selecting the colors you want for the rest of your site. Always use colors that complement those in the logo or photo you plan to use.
If you already have a Website header ready to go, it is especially important to make sure that the colors in your header are incorporated into your Website color scheme to avoid causing it to clash with the rest of the site or look out of place.
If you don’t have either of these, that’s okay. It’s perfectly fine to select your Website colors first and then design a header to match what you selected. In this case, you would want to use your Website’s niche or theme to help determine what colors would be suitable to use in your design.
Now That You Have an Idea of Where to Start, Let’s Start Selecting Some Colors
You have a few options available to help you determine the perfect color palette for your Website.
Online Color Scheme Generators are one of the easiest ways to test out certain colors and find complementary and contrasting colors.
Adobe Kuler and Color Schemer are both examples of popular online color scheme generators that have proven to be invaluable to Web designers time and again. Alternatively, you can do a simple Google search for free online color pickers or color scheme generators to gain access to an endless variety of other options as well.
How to Use an Online Color Scheme Generator
To use an online color picker, put in one of the colors you came up with for your starting point, and the color generator will provide an array of contrasting and complementary colors that would work well coupled with that color. You can select any of the colors provided, or use them as an aid to help you come up with further ideas for your own, fully customized design.
For the most part, selecting the appropriate colors for any Website is more trial and error than anything else. What looks good on the color generator may not look as appealing on an actual Website, so have some fun and play around with it until you get it just right.
You’ve Selected Your Colors, Now What?
Now that you have determined what colors you would like to use in your Website design, it’s time to test them out. The only real way to test it out is to see what it looks like all put together on your Website.
To do this, simply apply the colors to the designated aspects of your Website and preview it in an HTML editor or Website builder. I recommend doing this step before you upload the new design to the Web. Not only will it save you time and frustration, it will allow you to make any adjustments to the colors you don’t like before it becomes live on your site.
Tips and Strategies for Selecting A Great Color Scheme