What Colors do Designers like on a Website'sHome Page?
From: "Bruno Figueiredo" <bruno.figueiredo at gmail.com>
: Be aware that colors convey meanings too, but they differ from culture
: to culture. So I guess you should chosse the one closest to what you
: want it to mean.
:
: More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology
Bruno is correct in pointing us to the wikipedia article, which has plenty of appropriate scepticism about the supposed cultural
connotations of colour. While it's true that people assign meanings to colours, those meanings are by no means stable and certainly
aren't stable across cultures or within them.
For example, the hilarious Xerox guide to cultural connotations still peddles generic information that is by no means accurate or
reliable. Here's the page on Britain:
http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/resources/international-color-guide-britain/enus.html
which makes extensive use of the term 'Tudor Britain' (there was no such thing: the Tudors were an English dynasty and Scotland
never had a Tudor period) and seems to base most of its advice on colour connotations at that time. As I've said elsewhere, we've
maybe had less change in Britain since 1603, the end of the Tudor period, than in some other countries, but Tudor opinions are by no
means a reliable guide to today's Britain.
There's no substitute for testing your colours in the way you plan to use them with your target audience. The results can be very
surprising. For example, the Association for Project Management here in the UK, not exactly the most hip organisation, recently
successfully rebranded in pink, purple and pale blue.
Caroline Jarrett
caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk
07990 570647
Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content
We have moved. New address:
16 Heath Road
Leighton Buzzard
LU7 3AB
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Comments
I'm with Robert in suggesting you ask a different question,
Harvinder. Choosing a color scheme is as important as choosing a
font, as each conveys something about the company and its image.
It's really a combination of many factors that will create the final
impression, and for me the end goal is to elicit consistent confidence
in buyers, users, etc.
Color contrast is important for accessibility (the precise minimum
contrast required is presently being reconsidered by the W3C's Web
Accessibility Initiative). You can test your color choices with one
of the tools found here: http://tinyurl.com/2ets5g
I'm probably an oddball, but I prefer not to use white except for
"highlights," and to help call attention to the smallest of
headlines. A majority of web designers use white for the background
(it's the default), and for people who browse the Web a lot that can
cause eye fatigue. Unlike the printed page, a Web "page" requires
the user to glare directly into a light source. We ought to keep that
in mind, and modify our design practices to facilitate physical as
well as cognitive comfort.
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28911
On May 11, 2008, at 3:54 AM, Caroline Jarrett wrote:
> For example, the hilarious Xerox guide to cultural connotations
> still peddles generic information that is by no means accurate or
> reliable. Here's the page on Britain:
> http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/resources/international-color-guide-britain/enus.html
The language in the Xerox guide has the same air of bland plausibility
one sees in SEO guides, astrological forecasts, and other documents
aimed at an inattentive audience. I particularly like this little gem:
"Red is also the color of livery." (Except, of course, when it's not.)
Will Parker
wparker at channelingdesign.com
Did you enjoy the perfect contradiction of perfect yellow? Brides wore it
(joy and honor); but it also represents jealousy and fading love? Brides and
fading love?
Who wrote this?
Dial 1-900-Bull-Sh*t, Only .99 cents per minute.
On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 5:45 PM, Will Parker <wparker at channelingdesign.com>
wrote:
> On May 11, 2008, at 3:54 AM, Caroline Jarrett wrote:
>
> For example, the hilarious Xerox guide to cultural connotations still
> > peddles generic information that is by no means accurate or
> > reliable. Here's the page on Britain:
> >
> > http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/resources/international-color-guide-britain/enus.html
> >
>
>
Does the original post sound a little trollish to anyone else?
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28911