Colour choice is a critical consideration when building – or rebuilding – your website, triggering certain moods that encourage enquiries and sales. If you’re looking for web design in Essex or beyond, read on to learn how colour psychology can make your site more effective.
How colour psychology in web design can boost your conversions
We can take colour for granted: it’s all around us. But this fundamental facet of life can be harnessed to profound effect in web design.
As primarily emotional beings, humans have strong responses to colour. A certain colour can trigger particular moods, or tap into universal associations.
The right colour scheme can help people feel more energised in a gym, more alert in a casino, or calmer in a doctor’s surgery.
In the realm of encouraging a website visitor to sign up for a newsletter, make an inquiry, or simply linger on the site for longer, colour plays a key role.
And of course, colour can set the right mood for making that all-important sale.
If you’re a business or organisation in Essex looking to have a website designed and built, choosing a colour palette that fits your goals is critical.
Here’s a quick rundown of key colours and their associations
Red
The most stimulating colour of all, red conveys a sense of urgency, and is put to great use in online and offline clearance sales. It’s also the colour of passion – but can have some negative connotations such as danger and violence. The power of red can be offset with some suitable copy or graphics.
Brands that use red: Coca-Cola, Netflix, YouTube, Nike
Blue
The colour of intelligence, trust, and dependability is commonly harnessed in the technology, finance and medical fields. Lighter blues can be relaxing, darker blues can emphasise strength and reliability.
Brands the use blue: Facebook, Twitter (as was), TSB, BUPA
Green
Nature, wellbeing and health are commonly associated with green. Websites focussing on the environment often use it to great effect, sometimes alongside blue, both of which engender feelings of calm and trust. While petrol firm BP has used green in its logo for decades, it put it to great use in its sunflower logo (alongside energising yellow, see below), emphasising its shift to greener energy sources.
Brands that use green: Holland & Barret, National Trust, Land Rover, BP
Yellow
Happiness, energy and youth are among the associations with yellow. You’ll see it on travel, wellness, and parenting websites, as well as on fast food branding. While too much yellow can be overwhelming, considered use of it can make your website feel more approachable and friendly.
Brands the use yellow: Subway, Shell, McDonalds, Walkers Crisps
Black
In many cultures, black is associated with death and darkness, but in the modern era it has become a go-to shade for luxury items and exclusive services. If it’s expensive, it probably has black in its branding. If you want an elegant or artistic feel to your website, black could be a great solution.
Brands that use black: Gucci, Piaget, Chanel, Dior
White
Hygiene, purity, innocence, tradition, and order are among the common associations with white. You’ll often see it on branding for healthcare, pharmacies and feminine care companies – where trust and understanding are key for customers. In the realm of luxury products, it can be used to great effect with black.
Brands that use white: Boots, Olay, Spire Healthcare, Tiptree Jam
Is there an ‘Essex web design colour palette’?
Not exactly. But as a county intimately connected with both coast and countryside, as well as history and tradition, there might be a general tilt towards natural colours, or classic black-and-white combinations.
Maldon Salt harnesses green and white, while Tiptree Jam has an oldy-worldy black-on-white look. More energising colours are found on the Essex flag and coat of arms (red and white), while Essex University employs red, purple and white. Naturally, these brand colour schemes were used during their associated web development efforts.
Web Design Essex: Choose the right colour palette for your website
Here at Crisp Design we’ve helped businesses across Essex and beyond select the best colour palette for their website – colours that put users in a mood that engenders trust and encourages them to make contact, sign up for a newsletter – or click that all-important ‘buy’ button.