If you were to ask me the key element between an amateur looking website and a professional website I would say colour.  Not only because colour works so differently on screen than it does in print but also the colour you choose can have a strong psychological affect on your reader!  One of my favourite places for colour palette inspiration is the website Design Seeds. The inspiration for all of the colour palettes put together are from a single photograph and it is easy to see which ones work well together.

Colour Lovers also provides a wonderful resource for current trends in web design colour combinations.  At the moment strong vibrant colours with a slightly vintage/grunge look (rather like me website!) are bang up to date yet sill retain a classic look.  Wishy washy colours don’t really work on a screen and they don’t provide much contrast which can make it difficult for your viewers to read your content.  Design and colour activate the right side of the brain (emotional) and text and content activate the left side (logic) and the two should work together to help your readers fully understand the message you are trying to convey.

Colour Psychology

Psychology is really important when you are considering the impact you want your website to have on your audience.  Perceptions and opinion are all subjective of course but some colours are well know for their mood affecting qualities.  Deep and warm tones are appear to advance forward so are seen by the eye before cool light tones which appear to recede so make content stand out more with warm colours.

RED:  One of the most powerful colours, red stimulates energy and encourages action and confidence.  It can also give a sense of protection from fears and anxiety (the Red Cross and the Fire Brigade). Red is impossible to ignore!
PINK: Depending on its tone and saturation, pink can evoke many different moods. Deep and rich tones like magenta and fuchsia are theatrical and sensual. But water-down the red in lighter pinks and you create a serene, beautiful romantic mood.
ORANGE: A combination of the fiery red and more friendly yellow, orange stimulates the appetite and radiates vitality and warmth.  People either love or hate a bright orange but the more relaxed tones like Terracotta are more popular.
YELLOW: Yellow is a very friendly, approachable and warm colour that conveys a positive outcome.  It is a happy colour that encourages communication.
BROWN: Reliable, durable, down to earth and rich are just some of the traits of brown which brings a feeling of homeliness, substance and stability.
BLUE: Blue is seen as dependable and committed and the colour we often associate with calm and serenity. Darken the blue and you’ll add an instant authority, credibility and power.
GREEN: One of the most popular colours due to its association with nature, green is soothing and offers a sense of renewal and harmony and helps to relax your reader.
PURPLE: With its sense of mystic and royal qualities, purple is a color often well liked by very creative or eccentric types and is the favorite color of adolescent girls.  It is uplifting and calming and offers a sense of spirituality.

I actually used the above information to create the colour palette for my own website which you can see below:

The red is used to demand attention and provoke action, yellow for the feelings of approachability and to encourage communication and dark blue to convey credibility.

Don’t underestimate the power of colour!

(photo: Shutterstock)