Do you find it hard to choose color schemes for your web designs? An effective color scheme can make or break your website. If it doesn't convey the personality you are trying to achieve, you may end up alienating the people you are trying so hard to get to notice you.

In my quest to design successful, attractive websites, I spend a lot of time picking colors. Making sure colors coordinate well with each other is not an easy task. But, with the right tools and a good sense of what looks right, you can achieve the look and feel you desire.

Following is a brief summary of some of the emotions/feelings associated with color:

• Black—elegance, sophistication, formality, strength, depression, morbidity
• Blue—professionalism, loyalty, reliability, honor, melancholia, boredom
• Brown—relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring, earthy
• Gray—conservatism, traditionalism, intelligence, serious, dull, uninteresting
• Green—durability, reliability, environmental, luxurious, optimism, well-being
• Orange—cheerfulness, low cost, affordability
• Purple—power, royalty, elegance, artificiality
• Red—warmth, love, anger, danger, boldness, excitement
• White—cleanliness, purity, newness, peace, innocence, simplicity, sterility
• Yellow—attention-grabbing, comfort, liveliness, cowardliness

The above associations are not universal. Depending on the country, different colors can mean different things. If you are designing a website for an international audience, it is crucial that you pay particular attention to choosing your color schemes. Choosing the wrong colors may prove detrimental to the success of your website.

Copyright © 2001 Joanne Glasspoole. All rights reserved.