Colour Theory

Colour is very important in web design, and can be used to add spice to your website, relay the mood of a page, as well as to emphasize sections of a site. If you think about it, as soon as you look at a website, you can normally guess within seconds what that site is all about. Just like we all are quick to judge other people by their appearance, and surroundings by the way they smell, look, and feel, we also judge a website by its colour scheme and style of design. We can usually tell almost immediately, whether a website is corporate, personal, whether it is for kids, teens, or just for adults, etc. Most of this information is perceived solely by taking in colour and design elements. [1]

Colour relationships are how colours work together. There are different types of mixing and matching colours. I won't be mixing and matching colours for my portfolio but I will post the types of colour relationships for the purpose of this blog:

• Adjacent or harmonizing colours appear next to each other on the color wheel. Harmonizing colours often work well together but if too close in value they can appear washed out or not have enough contrast. A harmonizing trio could be something like blue, light blue, and cyan or perhaps red, orange, and yellow.[2]

• Contrasting colours are separated from each other by other colours -- they come from different segments of the colour wheel. The further apart, the more the contrast. Red (from the warm half of the colour wheel) contrasts with green and blue (from the cool half of the colour wheel). Shades of purple contrast with shades of green. Contrasting colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel may be described as clashing colours -- see the description for complementary. Despite the name, colours that clash are not always a bad combination if used carefully. They provide great contrast and high visibility. [2]
• Complementary colours are on opposite sides of the colour wheel -- they are each half of a pair of contrasting colours. For example, blue is a complementary colour to yellow. Green is complementary to purple and magenta. A pair of complementary colours printed side by side can sometimes cause visual vibration (clash) making them a less than desirable combination. However, separate them on the page with other colours and they can work together. Note the spelling. These are not complimentary colours. They don't always flatter (compliment) one another but they do complete (complement) each other. [2]

What I will be concentrating on however is the psychology of colour and how it makes people feel. I am concentrating on this because each of my pages will have a different colour scheme.

• Blue: Blue is first and foremost a calming colour, one that promotes physical and mental relaxation, inner security and confidence. Light blue promotes creativity. That is why it is recommended to decorate offices and studies. Ideally, it should be associated with yellow, which stimulates the mind and raises one's organizational capacity. Turquoise seems to facilitate communications between people who surround themselves in it. [3]
• Yellow: Yellow is bright, happy and stimulating. It is associated with intellect and the expression of thoughts. [3]
• Orange: Orange is the "happy" colour par excellence. It frees emotions, promotes self-esteem and the capacity to forgive. This stimulating colour fights depression and cultivates good humour. Lighter hues such as peach and apricot, help restore nervous energy. [3]
  
• Red: Colour influences our emotions and psychological state too. Red is a very powerful colour, associated with a high level of energy and stimulation. It goes hand in hand with adjectives such as courageous, antidepressant, assertive, determined, friendly, warm, and sensual. On the other hand, too much of some reds can make people feel irritable, impatient and even angry.[3]
• Green: Green stands as a symbol of life, growth and harmony. It brings us comfort, relaxation and wellness. When we think of green, we imagine many of nature's offerings such as forests, trees, grass, olives, apples, lichen, jade and emerald. Green's strong link with nature seems to bring us closer to nature and to one another. [3]
  
• Violet: According to psychologists, violet contributes to mental equilibrium. In addition, it is associated with a sense of the artistic, music, intuition and spirituality. It promotes sensitivity and compassion. [3]
  
• Black: Black creates diverse characteristics: it provides a feeling of protection, comfort, and yet, a sensation of mystery. It is associated to silence, infinity as well as to the feminine vital force. [3]
  

For my web portfolio I have decided to do the home page pink as it is my favourite colour and represents me. For the other pages, I will use lime green as it brings comfort to the user. I will use turquoise for the calming effect and because it promotes creativity. Lastly, I will use violet because it is associated with art.


References

1. Unknown. (). A guide to Combining Colors & Color Schemes for Great Web Design. Available: http://www.allwebdesignresources.com/webdesignblogs/graphics/webdesigncolorcombinationsguide/. Last accessed 17 March 2010.
2. Jacci Howard Bear. (). Color Meanings - Symbolism of Color and Colors That Go Together. Available: http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/color/a/symbolism.htm. Last accessed 17 March 2010.
3. Unknown. (). The Theory of Colour - Colour Psychology. Available: http://www.paintcafe.com/en/couleur/langage/psychologie/index.asp. Last accessed 17 March 2010.