Color Theory Fundamentals for Every Web Designer

Color Theory:�Fundamentals for Every Web Designer.
Color theory is a huge field of knowledge. It includes rules and guidelines about various color combinations and their uses.
Color theory is a vast field that involves more human perception, cultural associations, and color psychology. Our product designer guides you through the fundamentals of color theory that every web designer should know and shows how it works in practice.
The most apparent advantage of using the right color combinations in web design is that they help users understand and navigate the site. Colors can improve visitors’ online experiences, enabling them to find the information they need and respond to your call to action.
 research has shown that color plays a huge role in customers’ decisions about purchasing a product, with a staggering 92.6 percent of viewers putting high importance on the item’s visual factors.
conducted by the University of Loyola, Maryland, colors can increase overall brand recognition by a staggering 80 percent.

1. Color Theory: Fundamentals for Every Web Designer

2. Table of Content 1.1 -Why Color Matters In Web Design 1.2 -A Brief Look Into Color History 1.3 -7 Key Color Theory Terms You Should Know 2.0 -How To Apply An Effective Color Scheme 2.1 -Applying Color Schemes 2.2 -How to Use Color Psychology and Meaning to Influence Emotions 2.3 -Examples of websites and templates that successfully employ color meaning in their designs. 2.4 -Things to Consider When Using Color Psychology

3. 1.1 Why Color Matters In Web Design Color theory is a huge field of knowledge. It includes rules and guidelines about various color combinations and their uses. Color theory is a vast field that involves more human perception, cultural associations, and color psychology. Our product designer guides you through the fundamentals of color theory that every web designer should know and shows how it works in practice.

4. 1.1 Why Color Matters In Web Design The most apparent advantage of using the right color combinations in web design is that they help users understand and navigate the site. Colors can improve visitors’ online experiences, enabling them to find the information they need and respond to your  call to action.   research has shown that color plays a huge role in customers’ decisions about purchasing a product, with a staggering 92.6 percent of viewers putting high importance on the item’s visual factors. conducted by the University of Loyola, Maryland, colors can increase overall brand recognition by a staggering 80 percent.

5. 1.2 A Brief Look Into Color History the scientific approach to color theory started in the 17th century when Sir Isaac Newton created the first color wheel. Newton discovered a visible spectrum of light, which consisted of many colors. He mapped them into classifications that became known as the color wheel.  His experiment also led to the discovery that all secondary colors can be created by mixing primary colors. Newton’s discoveries have influenced the work of artists, designers, and scientists up to this day.

6. 1.3 7 Key Color Theory Terms You Should Know Color Wheel: A color wheel is a powerful tool that can help you visualize relationships between colors in a standard, schematic way.

7. Color Wheel ; continued The basic color wheel consists of 12 colors.  Primary colors  form the basis of all others. Although traditional theory lists these as Red, Blue, and Yellow, recent research suggests that Magenta, Cyan, and Yellow are more accurate descriptors of how we perceive these colors. Mixing primary colors gives you Orange, Green, and Purple. These are known as  secondary colors . You can also combine primary and secondary colors to create  tertiary colors  such as yellow-green, blue-green, and so on. 

8. Color Relationships When working on a project, designers often rely on fundamental color relationships, also known as color schemes. The four main types include: Monochrome:  Consisting of various tints, shades, and saturation of the same color. Complementary : Based on two colors from opposite sides of the color wheel. Analogous:  Featuring three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Triadic:  Using three colors that are at the points of a triangle drawn within the color wheel

9. Color Relationships; continued

10. Color Warmth In a nutshell, colors can be either “cool” or “warm.”  Hues that contain higher amounts of yellow and red are considered  warm colors . They evoke a sense of passion, happiness, and heat, but can also seem aggressive and bring feelings of danger. That’s why they’re often used in alert messages. Cool colors , on the other hand, contain higher amounts of blue and purple. These colors are reminiscent of chilly climates, crystal clear waters, or the sky. They are considered more soothing and relaxing than warm colors. However, they can also carry connotations of formality and sadness.  Adding  neutral colors  such as white, black, and gray can help you achieve a harmonious palette. They can balance out your color scheme and add contrast to your designs.

11. Color Warmth; continued

12. Color Systems The three standard color systems:

13. RGB The RGB color system is based on light. All colors in this system are a combination of Red, Green, and Blue. Each value is represented by a number from 0 (black) to 255 (white). It’s easy to understand once you remember Newton’s experiments: the maximum value of all basic colored lights produces white light, and zero color (or zero light) is black or darkness.

14. CMYK CMYK  is used in print design. These are also the standard cartridges for most color printers. Unlike RGB, the zero value of all colors in the CMYK system (0,0,0,0) will produce white, while the maximum value (100,100,100,100) will be black. However, the standard black used in print is defined as (0, 0, 0, 100).

15. Hex Finally, the  HEX  color system uses a six-digit, three-byte, hexadecimal description of each color, such as  #000000  (black) or  #ffffff  (white). Every two characters represent a color value. For instance, the famous Facebook blue ( #3b5998 ) includes a red hue described as  3b .

16.  Tints and Shades You can create  tints  by adding white to a color. Higher levels of white will produce lighter tints. Similarly, if you add black, you will produce a different  shade . The darker the shade, the more black it contains. You can combine tints and shades of a base color to achieve a monochromatic color scheme. However, it can be more difficult to make important elements stand out in such a design.

17. Hue, Saturation, and Lightness Hue  describes the degree of similarity between colors. The point of reference is usually a color such as red, green, blue, or yellow. For instance, when you describe a color as yellow-green, you’re thinking of it as having two hues. Saturation , on the other hand, refers to color intensity. Increasing it will make the color more vibrant and darker while decreasing it will make the color appear faded and pale. Finally,  lightness  defines how bright a color is compared to pure white. Changing only the lightness parameter in graphic editing software will produce different tints and shades.

18. Contrast Contrast is a crucial element of any website, especially when it comes to background color and text. If the contrast is too low, users are more likely to have trouble differentiating between elements.  For the sake of readability, it’s best to use a white background and dark text color to keep pages clean and organized. On the flip side, you can also experiment with reversing the colors and using a light text over a dark background.  These two combinations have become a trend in web design, with many templates and apps offering a “Dark Theme” or a “Light Theme.” 

19. Contrast, continued; Contrast is vital not only for readability but content hierarchy as well. A prime example is  Aviaja Dance , which uses high contrast elements on its website to showcase essential details.

20. 2.0 How To Apply An Effective Color Scheme

21. 2.1 Applying Color Schemes A well-selected color scheme will help you achieve a balanced design. Colors that work well together create harmony and contribute to a pleasant User Experience However, clashing colors can cause negative impressions, with feelings of chaos and disharmony resonating from the design. This is why it’s crucial to develop your ability to craft effective color schemes that won’t put off your visitors. The following slides are a few examples of different color schemes that are visually pleasing. Excellent  monochromatic color scheme  uses different tints and shades of green for its About section:

22. Elementor website’s color scheme applies analogous hues for the main banner on the home page. Using colors that stand next to each other on the color wheel creates a soothing gradient effect:

23. Instinct Studio boasts vibrant elements in orange and turquoise, which are complementary colors: These colors stand on opposite sides of the color wheel and produce a sharp contrast when used together. However, note that this technique can start to feel aggressive if used excessively.

24. 2.2 How to Use Color Psychology and Meaning to Influence Emotions Color psychology is a fascinating field of study that examines the influence of colors on people’s behaviors and moods.  Different colors are often associated with particular meanings or senses they provide to a perceiving person. To create a successful design, you need to be aware of the color meanings, and understand how a color choice can influence your users by generating a specific emotional response. Many industries benefit from color psychology, especially marketing and design. Well-selected colors can convince users to take action and purchase products or sign up for your mailing list. In other words, the knowledge of color theory can help improve your conversion rate.

25. 2.4 Things to Consider When Using Color Psychology A user’s perception of color depends on factors such as their age, gender, culture, and even religious beliefs. The same color can have opposite effects in different parts of the world. For instance, white is considered a pure and positive color in the U.S. and Western Europe. However, Asian cultures associate it with death and sadness. Color psychology is a complex subject, so make sure to study your target audience and learn about their preferences. Rely on the power of user testing, ask the right questions, and gather as much relevant data as possible so you can make informed decisions.

26. Summary Color choices are vital for satisfactory user experience. An effective color scheme can make a massive difference to your customers and contribute to your website’s success. Rely on color theory to come up with harmonious palettes and find the right color combinations. Color psychology is a powerful technique that can convey a variety of messages to users.  You should always research your target audience and test their color preferences. Don’t be afraid to perform additional testing to establish whether your choice of color scheme is optimal on all devices.