Color schemes are intriguing for the artist, essential to the house decorator, and vital for the website designer and builder. Color schemes are also engrossing to examine–in terms of effectiveness, appeal, and psychological impact. Further, in the commercial environment, color and color schemes are key.

Many experts and professionals have studied the effects of color in particular (and color schemes in general) as it relates to dieting and appetite, moods, desires, and the sense of well-being. And, of course, the same experts have studied color schemes and dynamics in advertising, in branding (identity), and in product and service creation, all of which have a common goal–to determine the impact on consumers.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS of COLOR That ‘SELLS’

As the superb color.com, colormatters.com, and firelily.com experts will tell us, colors have got to

-send the appropriate message, taking into consideration who the receiver of that message is, what his/her age, ethnicity, income level, social and other inclinations, and personal preferences are, for example.

-be complimentary, or work in conjunction with other colors to establish desirable, rather than off-putting results, to be alluring.

-be accessible to the greater community of viewers (or users), the advertisers taking into consideration how plenty consumers have sight- or color-impaired issues (color deficiencies), how many have browsers and laptop systems that are not as capable to ‘read’ color schemes and other image attributes.

-represent (literally, figuratively, directly, indirectly) the intended results, appealing to a need, warning, supporting, informing, pleasing, etc..

-work toward the intended goal, which is to create a psychological result that is positive.

PSYCHOLOGY of COLOR SCHEMES Be they used in a living room, a therapist’s office, or a set of web pages, color schemes will have particular emotional/intellectual impact:

YELLOW

Yellow is (or can be) loud, warm, or repellant. At 24-hour stores, for instance, you may see the outside lights are an nasty yellow, used to discourage loitering. However the right yellow, used in the appropriate amounts, suggests, for sure, sunshine and all that is delightful.

RED

You may have heard that red cars get hit often, or that of all colored cars, red ones have pulled over most often by law enforcement officers. Yes, in some cultures, red is fast, hot, passionate. In others it is lucky, used in warning, indicates power, or is used as a stimulant.

ORANGE

Orange is warm, energetic, happy. Orange is also stimulating, often used in fast food restaurant color schemes (to invigorate hunger) and in places where conversation is invited. Last I read, orange was a new hot color for website design (2000s), however only in certain amounts and used in combination with the ever-popular blue (which is a number one color for American sites, for sure).

BLUE

Blue is the least likely color in nature, with extremely few edible foods occurring naturally, that is. So blue has been discovered to be an appetite suppressant. At the same time, blue is also a tranquilizing color, one you might find in libraries, therapist’s offices, and the like. For sure, as one of the three colors of the USA, blue is one of the most-often-used colors on American web sites, more, blue is the most often used color on all web sites collectively’across all cultural divides.

GREEN

The first color in nature, green is growth. Green can be used for warmth or for calm and cooling effects at the same time, depending upon the shade and the complimentary colors used with it. It is positive. It is forward-pointing. It also, in particular cultures, is money.

VIOLET

If you have heard of Prince, you would know that purple is symbolic of royalty. Also, like green, violet is found in great abundance in the natural environment and also like green, is a combination of cool and warm hues, being for a well-rounded and positive appearance.

Paying attention to preferences of cultures, ages, color-viewing abilities, and genders (with men preferring lucent and light colors and women opting for pastel and subdued colors, as an example), designing with colors and schemes in mind is no small task, but is possible, after some on to the studies and results.

Author:
Daniel Lesser
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