COLOR THEORYWeb Design

WARM COLORS• Red, Orange, and Yellow

(including variation of the three)

• Are the colors of:

• Fire

• Fall leaves

• Sunsets and sunrises

• Generally considered:• Energizing

• Passionate

• Positive

• Use in designs to reflect:• Passion

• Happiness

• Enthusiasm

• Energy

RED

• A primary color

• A “hot” color

• Associated with fire, violence, warfare, love, passion, anger, and importance

• Can cause raising blood pressure and respiration rates in people

• In design work use for

• Powerful accent (too much can be overwhelming)

• Portray power or passion

RED

Dark shades give powerful and elegant feel

Accents stand out against dark

background; gives powerful and high-end

feeling

ORANGE

• Secondary color

• Vibrant and energetic

• Associated: earth, autumn, health, and vitality

• Can represent change and movement

• In designs

• commands attention without being as overpowering as red

• more friendly and inviting and less “in-your-face”

ORANGE

Orange box draws attention to its contents Used to give a friendly and inviting impression

YELLOW

• Primary color

• Brightest and most energizing of the warm colors

• Associated with happiness, sunshine, hope, danger ( not as much as red), deceit, and cowardice

• In designs

• Lend a sense of happiness and cheerfulness

• A gender-neutral color for babies

• Light yellows give more calm feelings of happiness than bright yellow

• Dark yellows and gold-hued can look antique and are used where a sense of permanence is desired.

YELLOW

Bright yellow and graphics give sense of

energy and positivity

Accents bring attention to the most

important parts

COOL COLORS

• Green, Blue, and Purple ( variations of each)

• More subdued than warm colors

• Color of

• Night

• Water

• Nature

• Usually calming, relaxing, and somewhat reserved

• Blue is only primary color; other colors are created by combining blue with a warm color (Yellow for Green and Red for Purple)

• In designs cool colors give a sense of calm or professionalism

GREEN

• “down-to-earth” color

• Represent new beginnings, growth, renewal, abundance, envy or jealousy, and lack of experience.

• Many of the calming attributes of blue and some of the energy of yellow.

• In designs

• a balancing and harmonizing effect; very stable

• Appropriate for designs related to wealth, stability, renewal, and nature.

• Brighter greens: more energizing and vibrant

• Olive greens: more representative of the natural world

• Dark greens: most stable and representative of affluence

GREEN

Muted greens give a down-to-earth and

natural feeling

Olive-toned green gives a natural

feeling, which is very appropriate for the

content.

BLUE• only primary color in cool colors

• Sadness in English language

• Represent calmness, responsibility, peace, and spiritual and religious connotations

• Light blues: refreshing and friendly

• Dark blues: strong and reliable

• Meaning affected by exact shade and hue

• In design exact shade impacts how it is perceived

• Light blues: relaxed and calming

• Bright blues: energizing and refreshing

• Dark blues: strength and reliability (excellent for corporate sites)

BLUE

dark blue gives professional feeling,

lighter blue accents add a bit of interest.bright, sky gives a young and hip feeling,

when used along with reddish accents.

PURPLE

• Associated with royalty, creativity, and imagination

• Combination of red and blue takes attributes of both

• Dark purples traditionally associated with wealth and royalty

• Lighter purples considered more romantic

• In design

• Dark purples: give sense of wealth and luxury

• Light purples: softer and associated with spring and romance.

PURPLE

dark shade evokes the royal heritage of

purple, which is very appropriate for the

Asprey luxury goods brand.

brighter, more reddish purple gives both

a rich and energetic look