How to choose the best colors for a website?

Colors are one of the most important tools for your UX and UI . That’s why you will come across a lot of texts and examples dealing with this topic. We have already written about the theory and psychology of colors in earlier texts. However, research can be a lengthy process that, like any broad topic, will lead to new questions before offering you quick and concrete answers.

How to choose the best colors for a website?

That’s why we present a couple of tricks, how to choose the best colors for the website , while also saving some time.

Initially, design in tones (Grayscale)

Every good design starts with a sketch. Although it seems to you that you can immediately start with color, designing in tones or grayscale will help you to clearly set the visual hierarchy. In addition, it will be much easier to select colors once you have set up the project as a whole, instead of searching for the appropriate shade for each element separately.

The visual hierarchy determines how the eye will move around the page and it is very important that it has a natural flow. You will often hear the English word flow being used as well. This selection of objects will make users feel comfortable and pay attention to information that is more important than others.

Visual hierarchy depends on 3 things:

– From the size of the object

– From the empty space around the object

– And from the color, that is, the tone of the object

So, for example, in the visual hierarchy when you design banners or landing pages, it will be more important for you to emphasize titles or ” call to action ” in relation to other information.

Combine colors with logo colors

The color palette of your website should include more colors than those found in the logo.

In the process of defining colors, try not to use only lighter or darker shades of colors from the logo. Users will remember more easily if you surprise them with a new color during the design. Make sure that any new color you add to your website matches your brand colors.

Many brands made a point when they added bright colors to the basic, calm colors of the logo on the website . As a rule, bright colors give energy and a sense of immediacy.

Make a balance

However, do not deviate too much from the original idea of ​​your brand. Improper use of color can easily confuse your users and distract them from your brand. Try to achieve harmony and balance in the design.

Although at first glance this may sound like some super-talent, designers often use some of the rules to achieve this effect.

60–30–10 is a very simple rule of thumb for creating well-balanced color palettes. 60% should be dedicated to one color (very often it is a neutral color), the second (complementary) color makes up 30%, and the third color is mainly emphasized and used for details, i.e. the remaining 10% of the design. This rule is often used in architecture and interior design.

Do not use more than 3 colors. This is not such a strict rule, but you need quite a bit of experience to combine more than 3 colors without going overboard. If that is not enough for you, try adding lighter and darker shades, even then limit yourself to a maximum of 5 to 6 colors.

You can also use some of the color generators from the Internet.

Designers often experiment and explore new ways to define color palettes, so on the Internet you can find interesting methods by taking color samples from photographs of birds or landscapes.

Color as a functional element

Colors are certainly there to make the design more attractive and enticing for users, but it should not be overlooked that designers use color to simplify the interaction process. Along with shape, color is something users rely on to communicate with the digital world.

By using color we often distinguish interactive from static objects. Also, we explain the current state of the object (active or not) and draw the user’s attention to important information.

It is necessary to use colors consistently. In other words, if you decide to use a specific shade for a clickable object, this color should be used throughout the web page. In this way, we give users the opportunity to rely on their previous experience when interacting with the site.

Contrast

We’re not sure if we even need to emphasize how important color contrast is.

The first and basic thing is to pay attention to the high contrast of the content in relation to the background and then to the elements that overlap or are next to each other. The lower the contrast, the greater the chance that users will miss that information, especially on mobile phones where the light falls on the display differently. In addition to using your own gut feeling, there are a number of tools that can help you determine the best contrast.

Finally, it is advisable to test the colors with real users. The palette of colors you have defined should suit, first of all, the people who will visit your website .

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