May 2, 2011 Posted by Nick on May 2, 2011 in Web Design | 0 comments

Picking the Perfect Colour Scheme

Before you start looking at layouts, programming languages and some of the other fine points of your new website, you need to make a decision about the colour scheme of your new website. Not many decisions are this big and your colour scheme can make or break your website.

Always Choose Contrasting Colours

It is always best to choose colours that will provide just about enough contrast so that your text stands out and makes it easy to read. You should never use a light coloured font on a light coloured background as it makes it impossible to read and your main aim with your website is getting your message read and making that sale.

Don’t Try To Use Every Colour in the Rainbow

There are hundreds of websites on the internet where the designer has tried to cram in as many colours as possible when designing the site. There will be reds, greens, blues, oranges, purples and pinks all on the same screen at the same time which sends your brain into overdrive.

Try to pick 3 or 4 main colours for your site and stick to those colours (you can use shades of them).

Complimentary Colours

Complimentary Colours are colours that go well together and are usually at the opposite ends of the colour wheel.  3 of the most common sets of Complimentary Colours are:

• Yellow and Purple
• Blue and Orange
• Red and Green

As these colours are at the opposite end of the colour wheel they have a great contrast when using text with a background and make your text or logo stand out a lot more clearly then if you were using similar colours.

Chromatic Colours

Another great method (and my personal favourite) is to choose colours that are just different shades of one main colour. This means you could use Sky Blue, Dark Blue and Navy Blue together which gives off a sleek look and is often seen on corporate websites.

Natural Colours

If you are ever stuck at choosing a colour scheme then nature could be classed as a huge inspiration. Take a look out of the window at the trees, leaves and animals and see just how well some of the colours go together.