Color Psychology and How it Affects Your Site

Categories: Blogging Tips, Web Design

As a designer, website owner, or marketer it is important to know how color affects your target audience. There are many factors that contributes to how someone perceives color. While some of these factors are uncontrollable as they are mentally controlled, there are some that we can control as designers.
Some of the outside factors that can affect color and how people perceive it are:

• Culture
• Religion
• Environment (where the color is being used)
• Time Period
• Trends

When designing projects such as websites you need to keep the above in mind. Especially keep in mind the culture and religious meaning of color. Colors have different meaning in different cultures and religions, so knowing your target audience can be one of the key factors in the success or failure of your site.
Example:
The color green is usually tied to safety or money. However in France the color green is associated with criminality, it is also not a good color to use for product packaging.
Colors have different meaning in different parts of the world, while some have universal meanings, some do not. Investing a little time and research into your target market can give your site a major boost for very little work.
In this article I have provided some incite into colors. I have given examples to their

• Common Association
• Positive and Negative Aspects of Usage
• Cultural and Religious Meaning
• Interesting Information About the Color

Primary Colors

Red

Red is the most dominant color and will always draw your attention when it is present. This makes red a good color to use if you want to draw the attention of the viewer to or away from a design element.
Examples:

1. You want to highlight something on a website such as a price or buy button, a little well placed red will make it stand out.
2. You designed a room and there is a small flaw you can not hide, you can use some strategically placed red elements to draw the attention away from the flaw.

Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Fire	Power	Aggressive
Blood	Attention Getting	Anger
Sex	Love	Immorality
Danger	Excitement	Violent
Love	Sexy	Antagonistic
Passion	Enthusiasm

Cultural Association 
France – Masculinity
Most of Asia – Happiness, Prosperity, and Luck
India – Soldier’s Symbol
South Africa – Color of Mourning
Australia Aborigines – Ceremonial Color
Interesting Information about the Color Red

• In Russian red means beautiful.
• Red suggests speed.
• Red cars have a higher rate of being pulled over for speeding.
• Red cars have a higher theft rate than any other color.
• Red stimulates the heart rate, breathing and appetite. This is why red is used in many restaurant and fast food branding/logos. Here are some examples.
• McDonalds
• Burger King
• Carls Jr/ Hardys
• In and Out Burger
• Sonics
• Red Rooster
• Red clothing makes you look heavier.

Yellow

Yellow is the first color the human eye can recognize.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Sunshine	Intellect	Jealousy
Desert	Wisdom	Cowardice
Brightness	Radiance	Deceit
Warning/Caution	Joy	Hazard
	Idealism
	Friendship
	Innovative
	Awareness
	Caution

Cultural Association 
Buddhist – Priests wear saffron yellow robes
Burma – Color of mourning
Egypt – Color of mourning
India – Color for merchants and farmers
Hindu – Worn to celebrate the Festival of Spring
Middle East – Happiness and prosperity
Greece – Sadness
Interesting Information about the Color Yellow 

• Yellow is brighter than white.
• Yellow speeds up the metabolism.
• Pale yellow can enhance concentration.
• Bright yellow causes more eye fatigue than any other color.
• Painting a baby’s room yellow makes them cry more.

Blue

Blue is the most used color in advertising and branding.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Sea	Knowledge	Depression
Water	Trust	Coolness
Sky	Peace	Detachment
Trust	Masculinity	Apathy
	Loyalty
	Justice
	Intelligence

Cultural Association
Most of the World – Sees blue as a masculine color
China – Color for little girls
Iran – Color of mourning
Eastern Cultures – Immortality
Korea – Color of mourning
Mexico – Color of mourning
Interesting Information about the Color Blue

• Blue is the most used color in branding and advertising. This is because the subconscious meaning of blue is linked to trust and loyalty.
• Blue suppresses hunger as blue is an unappetizing color.
• People are more productive in blue rooms.
• In southern US states front doors and porch ceiling are often painted blue to keep the evil spirits away.

Secondary Colors

Green

Green is the easiest color on the eye.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Nature	Money	Greed
Environment	Fertility	Envy
Mould	Growth	Nausea
	Healing	Poison
	Success
	Nature
	Harmony
	Honesty
	Fresh/Renewal

Cultural Association 
Islam – Green is associated with paradise and is symbolic of Islam
Most Western Cultures – Green is considered the color of luck
China – Fertility
Japan – Youthfulness
Ireland – Country color
South America – Color of death
Interesting Information about the Color Green 

• Green is known to calm and relax you.
• Painting your bedroom green can give you a better nights sleep.
• Green is said to aide digestion and reduces stomachaches.
• Green is the most widely used color for environmental marketing and branding.

Purple

Purple is said to enhance the imagination (commonly used to paint kids rooms to stimulate the imagination).
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Royalty/Nobility	Luxury	Excess
Magic	Wisdom	Madness
Spirituality	Imagination	Cruelty
Wealth	Sophistication
	Wealth
	Nobility
	Mysticism
	Meditative
	Prestigious

Cultural Association 
Latin America – Indicates death
Thailand – Worn by widows mourning a husbands death
India – Sorrow
Brazil – Death and mourning
Catholicism – Mourning
Interesting Information about the Color Purple

• Purple is associated with wealth, royalty and nobility because the ingredients to make purple dye was very expensive. Only the wealthy such as royalty could afford them.
• Rare in nature purple is seen as artificial.

Orange

Orange is known as the come back color, as it has came back in style and popularity recently.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Autumn	Creativity	Crassness
Citrus	Invigoration	Loudness
Warm	Uniqueness	Raucous
Tropical	Energy	Frivolous
Halloween	Health

Cultural Association 
Native American – Orange is linked to learning.
Netherlands – Orange is the national color. This is because the Dutch monarchs came from Orange-Nassau.
Western Cultures – This color is associated with affordable, inexpensive items.
Interesting Information about the Color Orange 

• Orange is and appetite stimulant.
• Orange rooms get people thinking and talking. A good use for this color is to paint the walls of a meeting room orange.

Neutrals

Black

Black is the deepest depths.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Night	Power	Fear
Death	Authority	Negativity
Sleek	Sophistication	Evil
Professional	Elegance	Mourning
Sophistication	Seriousness	Emptiness
	Dignity	Depression
	Mystery	Oppression
	Bold
	Classic
	Modern

Cultural Association
China – Black is the color for little boys
Asia – Generally associated with mourning, penance, knowledge, and career
India – Evil
Thailand – Bad luck, evil, and unhappiness
Judaism – Bad luck, evil, and unhappiness
Australian Aborigines – Ceremonial color
Western Cultures – Mourning
Interesting Information about the Color Black 

• Black clothing makes you look thinner
• Black makes other colors appear brighter
• Black is said to boost self-confidence and strength
• Black is the color of choice for most secret societies

White

White is a perfectly balanced color.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Light	Marriage	Fragility
Purity	Weddings	Isolation
Pristine	Cleanliness	Sterile
Clean	Virtue	Cold
Hospitals	Innocence	Clinical
Snow/Winter	Lightness
	Softness
	Simplicity
	Truth

Cultural Association
Japan and China – Funeral color
Worldwide – Universal symbol for truce
India – Married women who wear white invite unhappiness
Western Cultures – Bride, wedding and peace
Thailand – White symbolizes purity in Buddhism
Korea – Purity and innocence, morality, birth and death
Interesting Information about the Color White 

• In some cultures it is considered good luck to be married in a white garment
• White is so brilliant it can give some people headaches
• White light can be blinding

Grey

Grey is a balance of black and white.
Color Association 

Associated With	Positive Usage Association	Negative Usage Association
Neutrality	Balance	Dull
Moodiness	Security	Conformist
	Modesty	Detached
	Corporate	Sadness
	Quiet	Depression
	Basic
	Responsible

Cultural Association 
Native American – Grey is associated with friendship and honor
America– Represents industry
Interesting Information about the Color Grey

• Grey seldom evokes strong emotions
• Grey is it’s own complement color

When doing design work it is important to understand the needs of the project you are working on. You need to remember to take into consideration who your main viewing audience is. In this article I have covered the basics of color and how it can affect your site. In a future article I will go more in-depth into how to apply colors to your project and get the most out of them.
If you have any color tips you would like to share feel free to post them below in the comments secton.
About the Author: This post was written by Smarajit Palwho is the graphics designer of  Tips and Tricks HQ.

• 
  
• 
  
•