Color effects how we perceive the world around us. It can affect our emotional and physical responses to visual stimuli, and can even govern how we interpret these stimuli. This is why color is so important in fields of graphic and environmental design, and why graphic designers, interior designers, and architects go to such great lengths to understand the influence of color and to use it in just the right way. Until recently, though, very little emphasis has been placed on the importance and overall influence of color in the field of web design. In fact, there still seems to be overall a kind of ‘anything goes’ atmosphere on the Internet with regard to web design in general. But the way in which we access the Internet, combined with its increasing impact on our everyday lives, now requires a more thorough understanding of the influence of color for designers who wish to create websites that effectively attract and positively influence visitors to them.
And so, we would like to introduce with this article the influence of color on web design in general, beginning with the foundations of color theory and leading to some important tips for using color to create more powerful and influential websites overall. A Brief Introduction to Color Theory Color theory is a large branch of science that encompasses every aspect of how humans see and interpret color. We will begin with only a brief introduction to color theory here, outlining its more salient points for gaining a better understanding of how to harness the power (and avoid the pitfalls) of using color in web design.
