The importance of colour

Colour is an important part of any design and web design is not an exception. Colours have different effects on our emotions. Red and orange excite the senses and increase heartbeat, blues and greens are more restful. Yellow reminds us of sunshine and is a happy colour. These are the meanings of colours accepted in our country. But websites are internationally viewed and it's easy to get messed up by the meaning of colour, when dealing with international visitors.

Blue represents peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, confidence. In China, blue is associated with immortality. In Colombia, blue is associated with soap. In India blue is the colour of Krishna, in the Middle East blue is a protective colour.

Black represents power, sophistication, formality, elegance, anonymity, unhappiness, wealth, mystery, fear, evil also. In the USA black is for mourning.

Green represents nature, health, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy. In India green is the colour of Islam. In Ireland green has religious significance (Catholic). In some tropical countries green is associated with danger.

Orange represents energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrancy, flamboyancy. In Ireland orange has religious significance (Protestant).

Purple represents royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment.

Red represents love, danger, desire, speed, strength, violence, anger, and blood. In China red symbolizes celebration and luck, used in many cultural ceremonies that range from funerals to weddings. In India red is the colour of purity. It is often used in wedding outfits.

White represents purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, innocence, youth, birth, good, and marriage. In Japan, white carnations signify death. In eastern cultures white symbolizes coldness and sterility. In the USA it signifies virginity.

Yellow represents joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, and cowardliness. In Asia yellow is sacred and imperial.

In web design, when setting text and background colours, readability must be preserved at all costs. Dark backgrounds make you feel as if you're in a small space and also have a depressing effect on your mood. Certain coloured backgrounds make it very difficult to read the text; purples, orange tonings and reds dazzle the eyes.

Contrast should always be preserved. If the text is light coloured then the background has to be dark and vice a versa. White and black always make a good combination, and red and blue are useful for highlighting. Using the combination of black as a background with warm colour text should always be avoided, as it might be great clarity wise but has a tendency to make visitors nauseous.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16