The Significance of Colour in Web Design

 


The Significance of Colour in Web Design

Whether your nonprofit operates at a local level or internationally, getting people on board with your cause — and making them aware of your organisation’s existence — is critical.

Human beings are a very visual species.

The average human eye can see up to 1 million colours, with some people being able to see 10 or 100 million.

Our brains also process visual information 60,000 times faster than text.

The colour information we take in through our eyes can light up our visual cortex, particularly when we see a colour that has pleasant associations for us. And it can also make us saunter off in the opposite direction when surrounded by colour that subconsciously repels us. 

The meanings of certain colours can vary between cultures — but overall a certain colour will reliably spark a similar, powerful association across large numbers of people.

So when you’re designing your website — a digital asset that you’d ideally like people to be drawn to, not repelled by — it’s pretty important to make sure you select the right colour. A colour that sparks desire, and causes your customers to linger in your aesthetically pleasing online domain. 

Getting that colour just right can be intensely powerful for building customer loyalty. According to the 2006 study ‘Impact of Colour On Marketing’, the colour of your branding and your website can be as high as up to 85% of the reason why people decide to purchase from your company. 

Why are colours so influential for web design?


There is power in every colour, and each colour has an archetype and an association that impacts us on an emotional level. The right choice of colour can also help your audience process and store the images you’re presenting them with more vividly, compared to a site without striking colour choices. 

This is a good argument for being intentional with your colour choice during your branding and web development process. 

Colours set the tone for your brand and website

Colours can take on an even greater variety of meanings through pairing, shades, context, content, vibrancy, culture, location, tone, and a lot more.

  • Orange is frequently used by websites selling food products. Orange is associated with positivity, and enhanced creativity. Younger audiences tend to find orange more appealing. 

  • Blue is a conventional and steady colour choice, with an incredibly high trust value. Blue shades are known to ease the nervous system, giving a calming and reassuring impact. It is frequently used for tech websites, as well as for nutrition and diet products.

  • Yellow signifies happiness and creativity. Its brightness fascinates children, and is commonly found on leisure industry websites. However, yellow can strain the eyes — so should be used as an accent colour in most cases.

  • Red is powerful and attractive, evoking emotions. It works well for websites aimed at children. Red can also signal a ‘call to action’, and can encourage visitors to click that ‘Book Now’ button.

  • Green is pleasing to the human eye, great for tourism sites and websites related to nature. Green also signifies prosperity and wealth, evoking trust and calm. For these reasons, green is one of the most popular corporate colours.

  • Black is an excellent colour choice for a website relating to photography and art. Black provides the backdrop for your imagery to take centre stage.

  • Purple is commonly used on religious websites and vacation sites.

Use colour to increase brand recognition

So when you’re developing your business’s visual brand, pay particular attention when selecting your “colour branding”.

Getting this choice right will help create a strong, instantly recognisable image, helping to increase your brand recognition up to 80%. 

Before you go!


Nonprofits, charities and purpose driven organisations trust us to build powerful, effective WordPress and Webflow websites to reach for their goals, and tell a powerful story. We help businesses navigate the nuances of branding, helping your message be heard by crafting an unforgettable visual identity.

If you’re looking for a creative agency for web development services — send us an email using our contact us page or drop us a line.

 
Tusko