There is nothing more universal than the human response and perception of colour, along with the human emotional response to smell and music. Despite the colloquial nature of colour, the concept and understanding of colour psychology seems to be somewhat lacking and even spiritual in practice. Thus, when we choose colours for our website, we may not have thought about what effect it can have on our readers. Often, we just choose the colour impulsively.
Many years back, ancient cultures have practiced forms of colour therapy, commonly known as various terms such as chromotherapy, light therapy, or colourology. Even today there are groups practicing such therapies as part of holistic and alternative treatments. Artist and interior designers have long understood the relationship between colour and human emotional response.
Some of the most interesting research on colour response has included:
- Students exposed to the colour red prior to an exam having negative effects- reducing scores and grades.
- Wildlife and park rangers have planted red flowers to deter people from entering into certain areas.
- Sports teams dressed in black are more likely to receive penalties.
- Warm-coloured placebo pills get more of a response than cool-coloured placebo pills.
- The installation of blue-coloured streetlights have suggested a reduction of crime in those areas.
Here is the pros and cons of the major colours and their parallel emotional response:
1. Red
Positive: courage, strength, warmth, energy, excitement
Negative: defiance, aggression, danger.
2. Blue
Positive: intelligence, trust, serenity, calmness, coolness, reflection.
Negative: distance, aloofness, emotionless, unfriendliness.
3. Yellow
Positive: optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, friendliness, creativity.
Negative: irrationality, fragility, depression, anxiety.
4. Green
Positive: harmony, balance, refreshment, love, restoration, equilibrium, peace.
Negative: boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation, envy
5. Violet
Positive: authenticity, truth, quality, awareness, attunement, luxury, royalty,
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.
6. Orange
Positive: comfort, security, abundance, fun, passion, stimulation/hunger/food.
Negative: deprivation, frustration, immaturity, frivolity.
7. Pink
Positive: tranquility, nurture, femininity, sexuality, love, delicate.
Negative: inhibition, emasculation, weakness, fickle, claustrophobia.
8. Grey
Positive: grey is psychologically neutral.
Negative: lack of confidence, lack of energy, depression, hibernation, reclusiveness.
9. Black
Positive: sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.
Negative: opression, coldness, menace, heaviness, intimation.
10. White
Positive: purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency, clarity.
Negative: elitism, sterility, distance, isolation, coldness.
11. Brown
Positive: earthiness, connectedness, reliability, support, grounded, stable.
Negative: heaviness, lack of sophistication, lack of humor, dullness.
Here are some considerations in choosing colour schemes for your website:
1. What is the nature of your work?
Media? Environmental? Music? Business? Religious? If your theme is environmental and you are heavy on the use of red and orange, this would produce a conflict in the reception of your message. In like manner, if you are a religious organization, then a dominant use of pink might not be very appropriate.
2. What is the purpose or mission statement of your business or website?
What kind of a response are you trying to elicit from your audience? Once they spend time on your site, think of some words to describe the way you would like your audience to feel. Inspired, encouraged, relaxed, at peace, energized? Match up these responses with the colour and response list.
3. What artwork or photographs are featured on your site?
Do these match up also with the message that you are trying to convey? You may have chosen great colours but you can easily undermine your colour/message synchronicity with a photograph or piece of art that is not in line with your colour scheme.
It is also important to have consistency if you are going to use a variety of colours, keep in mind that colours are grouped and divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary colours, and work best when used in these relations. Variations are perhaps best used in individual blog posts when you are writing on a specific topic and trying to bring about a certain response. This is very important when you are choosing photographs to be incorporated into the post. For more info on other subtle things on marketing, like psychology and more, check out our previous posts.