How to Choose the Best Color Scheme for Your Brand

When it comes to building a website, there are a couple of places that our minds go to first. Maybe it’s finding the perfect layout for website building software, or maybe it’s finding a smart logo or writing informational copy text.

Regardless, many people overlook one of the most important aspects of branding and building a website: color.

Did you know that 85% of shoppers said they purchase products based on colors alone? That’s right: not only do consumers notice colors when it comes to business, but they rely on them. For this reason, it’s extremely important to craft a color scheme for your website that’s eye-catching, consumer-facing, and in line with your brand identity.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few tips for choosing the best color scheme for your website.

What’s color psychology?

Creating the perfect color scheme isn’t something you can do in the snap of a finger. In fact, crafting a coherent color scheme requires knowledge of color psychology or the language of colors. Since different colors can mean different things (and evoke different emotions), it’s important to identify what your brand is trying to say before you dive into choosing colors.

• White is associated with purity, simplicity, and innocence
  • This is best used for minimalistic and clean web designs
• Red crafts emotions of love, passion, energy, and (occasionally) anger
• Yellow is representative of happiness and enthusiasm
  • Yellow can also invoke anxiety, so it’s best to be used sparingly
• Orange can symbolize playfulness, happiness, and creativity
  • Use sparingly, however, as consumers tend to dislike this color.
• Pink creates a feeling of calmness and femininity
  • Pink is a top choice for those in the beauty industry
• Green is commonly associated with health, finances, prosperity, and the environment
• Blue illustrates trust and crafts a feeling of safety and security
  • This is the most popular color choice among consumers
• Purple can represent elegance, mystery, and luxury
• Brown is symbolic of stability, comfort, reliability, and nature
• Grey creates a feeling of modesty, seriousness, and formality
• Black communicates a feeling of power and authority, as well as opposition

Other colors (like gold and silver) have been said to create an “impression of wealth, prosperity, and success,” which makes them popular choices in the luxury industries. It’s also important to note that different hues can create different emotions within consumers. For example, warmer colors create a feeling of happiness, coziness, and familiarity while cooler-tones colors are seen as more sophisticated.

How do I pick a color scheme?

Once you have an understanding of color psychology, it’s time to create your brand’s custom color scheme. While certain websites have pre-selected color schemes to use, sometimes it’s best to create something that speaks to you and your brand. Luckily, you don’t always need the help of a graphic designer to create a color scheme that’s cohesive and perfect for your website. With that being said, here are five steps you can take to create the perfect color scheme.

1. Choose your primary color or the color your site will be based around. This can be used for all of the important headings and other brand-facing material.
2. Pick your other main colors as most designers recommend using three principal colors in your color scheme. This will help you avoid a cluttered, visually overwhelming site.
3. Select secondary colors to give your color scheme more dimension. These are often different hues based on your main colors.
4. Utilize a neutral color to break up your color scheme and give consumers a visual break on your site.
5. Use tools to help create your color scheme like Coolors and ColorSpace that map out possible combinations.

Creating a color scheme is essential for a successful website and brand identity. By understanding the importance of a color scheme, color psychology, and the key steps to creating a color scheme, you’ll be well on your way to having a beautifully designed and branded website. For more information on color schemes, be sure to pore over the infographic below!

Caption: Infographic courtesy and copyright of: WebsiteSetup.org on 56 Website Color Schemes for 2021 (+ How to Choose One)