The connection between color and the human mind is a relatively new branch of psychology. Experts have only recently begun to explore this bond. One important area is the hidden web design psychology. In his peer-reviewed journal, Mr. Singh states that 62-90% of the first impression about a product is based on color.
What is true for products is always true for websites. As they are the first contact with a product, websites depend heavily on color and the way we perceive a brand.
If you wish to make changes to your strategy, take a look at the following 12 color psychology tips.
Hidden web design psychology … gender has a role
When choosing colors for your website, you have to take gender into consideration. The psychological differences in color perception are still relatively unknown to the scientific community.
Some experts recommended color separation for marketers.
What does that mean? When gathering analytics about your website and social media, think about which gender is prevalent. I
If you’re selling cosmetics, we would advise gentle colors. Pick one of the basic colors and change up their hues.
Women love milder tones, so the color will have more psychological appeal to them.
Pay attention to the contrast
People in a constant state of flux nowadays. Everyone is in a hurry, so you can’t afford to waste time when people visit your site. You must make everything as visible as possible for people interested in your brand.
A key component, in this case, is contrast. One color makes the other more visible and vice versa.
This is very simple psychology that can help you gain more conversions and revenue.
If you’re unsure about which colors go together, use this Color Wheel.
The psychology of color.
Hidden web design psychology … men like more basic colors
Psychologists and neurologists are still unsure as to why men prefer basic colors, but they do. They like clear pictures with no conflicting elements.
Therefore, if your website (or sections of it) have a predominantly male audience, consider switching to blue, green or black.
Mike Jenkins, from AssignmentMasters , tells us his experience: “We realized 74% of our audience on the ‘statistics project’ section of our website were male.
After assessing this, we changed the colors to very basic ones and have seen a 45.6% increase in clicks. Also, the overall time spent on the page was higher by an average of 15.7 seconds.”
What do PayPal, Facebook, and many banks have in common? Their websites are almost entirely blue. Due to its calming properties, blue is used by many brands which deal with security and finances.
Facebook deals with data of several billion users, while PayPal is a conduit for several million transfers on an hourly basis.
It is in their interest that they send a message to their customers. This simple psychological trick helps people put faith in these companies and trust them with their money. What about different hues?
Well, this depends on the other colors on your website. Go for dark blue and try not to mix up multiple hues.
But never associate it with food!
The psychology of web design.
If you’re associated with food in any way, avoid the color blue. In spite of its calming effects on people’s minds, many hues of the color blue suppress our appetites.
Nutritionists and other experts around the world have used the “blue plate trick” to have their clients eat less. Therefore, if your brand is related to food, steer clear of the color blue.
Why is this the case? We don’t know for sure.
However, many evolutionary biologists and anthropologists claim that our minds associate blue with poison.
Grab attention with yellow
When you’re walking into your office, a common sign is always present. “CAUTION – WET FLOOR,” it says. The only reason people see it is because it’s yellow.
Birds have developer yellow feathers to become noticed by the opposite sex. Traffic signs are always yellow. Therefore, if you want to grab the attention of your visitors, employ the color yellow.
Don’t use it too much. Otherwise, it will lose its severity. Instead, save it for special promotions, important announcements and the stuff everyone has to see.
Children also love this color, as they deem it bright, cheerful and friendly.
Hidden web design psychology … green is closely related to nature
Green is the color of nature, and it’s the most logical connection our minds can make. In this day and era, ecological awareness is important. People view it as an important factor when they’re choosing a product for their use.
To send the right message, implement the color green either on the background or in some small details.
Without being overwhelming and too obvious, you can use this psychological trick to paint an image of your brand.
Green is also associated with positivity, creativity and – calls to action. Don’t overuse it and you’ll be able to utilize it correctly.
Be careful with orange
Psychologists and marketers alike agree on the notion that orange is not to be used lightly. It is vibrant, impulsive and immediately noticed.
Therefore, you should only use it on select occasions. It stimulates competitiveness and action. If you have limited-time offers, utilize the color orange in posts on your website, as well as emails.
For sports apparel brands, orange is a great ally. It immediately stands out and motivates the visitor of your website.
Out of all the colors we’ve mentioned, orange is to be used as rarely as possible.
Hidden web design psychology … black adds value and luxury
There is a reason why all-black outfits are the best choice for formal events – they stand out. But how does the color black accomplish this, when it’s not even a color?
The answer is – contrast. By definition, black is an absence of light. If your entire website is full of content and colorful features, breaking the routine will surely cause a stir.
Black is also mysterious, as it adds uncertainty to the beholder’s mind.
Don’t use too much black or your website will become very “painful” for people’s eyes.
Calls to action are to be in primary colors
Let’s remember the most basic “call to action” in our society – traffic lights. They signal what drivers and pedestrians have to do.
To accomplish this, they use basic colors – red, yellow and green.
For your calls to action, you can also add orange. But why are these colors the most successful in grabbing attention?
The answer lies in their simplicity. Because they’re not complex, these colors can easily be registered.
We all know how important it is to have a website that’s easy to navigate. Mark your calls to action.
Don’t forget white
In almost every feature on color psychology, people leave out white. We’ve gotten so used to it that it’s not even a color anymore.
White space is the best friend of every web designer because it’s a hub for contrast and space for ideas.
If you want to instill a feeling of freedom and spaciousness, use a white background. However, you should be careful when doing so.
Too much white can tire the eyes and cause people to leave the page. Make sure that there is a lot of content in dark colors.
One other trick is to use a light shade of off-white, to reduce ocular fatigue.
If nothing works – change it up
Color psychology is still a big, big “if” in the scientific community. You can do everything we’ve written here and still see no changes.
What should you do then?
Just change things up. If people are used to a certain color scheme on your website, add some new hues or just reverse the way they’re placed.
Sometimes, all it takes is a break of routine to see your brand grow. Of course, don’t change the colors of your logo and website too much.
Reserve it for holidays, special occasions and rebranding periods.
The bottom line
Color psychology is all about experimenting. Know which colors go well with your content and go from there.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and implement new ideas.
Persistence and creativity will take you far in the world of web design.
Sara Williams is an editor, journalist, writer from San Jose. She likes to read the world classics, traveling, to engage in yoga. Almost all spare time she spares to reading. Meet her on Linkedin and Twitter
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