A Splash of Color

Choosing the colors for your Region website is a very important part of creating an impressive site presence. There is no 100 percent right way to chose your colors, but there are some helpful things to keep in mind that will give your website pop and clarity, without creating the wrong impression.

Your Customer

Your customer is the first and most important thing to consider for all of your Region’s projects, and your color scheme is no exception. Your Region website must be recognizable and memorable, while getting your message across. Try to think like your visitors. What would they like to see? What might they find unattractive? You might need to do some research to find out who your audience is (keep an eye out for a Google Analytics post that will cover that), or even do some testing with potential color combinations. But always keep in mind who you are designing your Region website for.

Your Identity

Your logo is the first thing your visitors see and the most memorable marketing tool in your box. Take advantage of your memorable logo by expanding it to your pages and other designs. Carry your Region’s colors, shapes, and fonts into your projects and layouts whenever possible to quickly associate your Region’s identity with your project’s message.

 

Emotions

Color can invoke emotions! A bright and cheery blue alongside just a small amount of brown and grey can turn a sunny day into something somber. A cheerful purple and blue can be jarring when just a splash of green is included. Different colors mean different things to different people, so pinning down exactly what your color scheme says can be tough, but keep the meaning behind these key colors in mind:

Red: Energy, fire, emergency, strength, danger
Orange: Business, prestige, happiness, stability
Yellow: Joy, cheer, freshness
Green: Health, nature, healing, food, travel
Blue: Royalty, sky, ocean, freedom, faith
Purple: Wisdom, fantasy, magic, extravagance
White: Innocence, goodness, cleanliness
Black: Elegance, mystery, strength, luxury

White Space

You may have heard the term “White Space” before, and the secret to this is, white space isn’t necessarily white! It simply refers to the “breathing room” you leave between your images, pictures and text. Having well-placed empty space can give your visitors a more pleasing viewing experience. This allows visitors to flow through your Region’s site and digest your information without feeling overwhelmed or confused.

 

What’s The Occasion?

This is especially important if you’re announcing a special event, such as a game schedule or meetings. The colors should reflect the mood of the event. Start by picking colors that you are naturally drawn to when you consider the purpose of the event. You could also start by thinking about colors that match the place the event is held, or even the seasons.

Complementary

You obviously want to make sure that your colors look good together. There are many wonderful color tools, and even communities of color enthusiasts you can visit to help you put together an engaging design/color scheme. Here are just a few:

https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/

http://colorschemedesigner.com/

http://www.colourlovers.com/

Whatever you’re tackling on your Region site, from building new sections, to creating slide shows or making simple temporary announcements, make sure you have put some thought into what colors will help keep your Region website pleasing, clean and enjoyable to visit.

Does your Region’s website use colors effectively? Share your color scheme in the comments below.