Website design is not just about creating something pretty. There demands to show substance behind every design related decision and one very important decision is what colour your site should be. Choice of colours can be the difference between the success and failure of a site.Being aware that some colours can lead to emotional reactions is the vital to choosing the right colours for a site. Knowing which colours have a calming effect and which provoke excitement may make choosing a colour scheme very easy.Colours may also be used to create contrast and emphasis to a design. This could be used to pointer users to desired parts of a page.Below is a brief pointer to how some colours affect human emotions and perceptions.



Red is linked to strength, fire, blood and passion. If used sparingly on a light background colour, it can be used to appeal attention and highlight.Blue is the larger favoured colour and it may denote confidence, loyalty and royalty. The darker end can point to strength whilst the lighter end may be used to express fantasy and dream.The colour green could summarise senses of durability, safety and harmony. It is also a reputable colour to use to emphasise calm and relaxation.

Linked with thoughts of cold, royalty, peace and air, blue is the better well-liked colour for corporate websites. It creates the opposite reaction to red.Green symbolises nature, environment, peace and luck. Green is a satisfying colour to use to create a calming effect.Standing for joy, happiness, warning and stamina, yellow has a similar effect to red, although it is not as favourite. It could be used to highlight spaces of a site. Withal, if used too much, it could be an overpowering colour.

Orange is a colour that is synonymous with vibrancy, heat, fire and force. A healing colour, it could be used in website design to signify openness.Purple is not a very notorious, colour in web design, as it is seen as quite feminine and can give the impression of arrogance, wealth, luxury and indulgence.

Orange is associated with fire, enthusiasm, heat and danger. But it is also a very friendly and youthful colour that is used frequently in web-sites aimed at youth civilization.Tradition, stability, depth and nature are all associated with the colour brown. But it is very similar to green in the fact that it is also related to trees, mother earth and calm.

It is evident that colours do not just make a web-site look pretty, but they also have an underlying effect of user experience and could thus dictate how successful a site could be. Getting the colours right can create a site that users can identify and will make them more willing to use, uncover and promote the site to friends. Getting the colours wrong could inadvertently put users off and display them switch off in droves.