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Web Design 1&2

26 August 2012
Color Theory and Different Color Meanings
One of the main aspects of web design is the colors we choose to design it with.
Depending on the color scheme you use, it affects the way your whole website is perceived. As
an example, if you were to make a website for a horror movie and used a color scheme full of
bright blue and pink pastels, no one would take it seriously. Your horror movie would lose its
frightening effect. Likewise, if you were to make a site promoting baby sitters and had a color
scheme filled with black, grungy reds, and dirty oranges, probably no one would want to hire any
of your sitters. So my goal in this paper is to learn the meanings and emotional responses
associated with different colors for the use and application of web design.
WARM COLORS
Warm colors include red, orange, yellow, and their many shades. Warm colors rev us up
and get us going. The warmth of red, yellow, or orange can create excitement or even anger.
Warm colors convey emotions from simple optimism to strong violence. (Bear)
Red. A primary color, this color is the hottest one out of the warm colors group, and
has even been shown to raise the blood pressure in humans. Red in its simplest form represents
many things: power, anger, danger, celebration, and as one of the most powerful colors even the
smallest amount of red can attract the viewers attention. Dark red is usually used for power and
elegance, while a lighter red is used for excitement and energy.

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Besides lighter and darker reds there are two main groups for shades of red: yellow-based
and blue-based, yellow based being the shade of red you see on a tomato, and blue based the
shade of red you see on a berry. Some studies show that males are more inclined to like yellow
based reds, and females to like blue-based reds.
Yellow. A primary color, this color is one of the brightest out of the warm colors and has
quite a bit of different meanings. Most commonly it is a color of: happiness, sunshine, purity,
glory, but it has quite a polar opposite meaning as well. As an example, when you call someone
yellow you are calling them a coward, because of this yellow also carries meanings of:
cowardice, egoism, betrayal, dishonesty, and madness. Yellow is also used to grab attention and
used for hazard and warning signs, although it is not quite as dire as red is when used for this
reason.
Yellow is also the only color that does not mix well with black. Morton explains,
Although there are strong mustard yellows and deep yellow ochres, there are no dark yellows.
Yellow is the only color that reacts badly to black: Add a little black and it becomes a sickly
yellow-green.
Orange. A secondary color created by a mixture of red and yellow. Orange has many of
the same traits as red and yellow but without carrying the same intensity. Orange usually
symbolizes: balance, transition, warmth, attention, youth, and autumn. Orange can also be used
to attract attention without being too abrasive. Darker oranges give a sense of comfort, while
lighter oranges are soothing.

COOL COLORS

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Cool colors include green, blue, purple and their many shades. Cool colors tend to have
a calming effect. At one end of the spectrum they are cold, impersonal, antispectic colors. At the
other end the cool colors are comforting and nurturing. [sic] (Bear)
Green. A secondary color, a mixture of yellow and blue, green has many of the same
calming attributes that blue has, but it also incorporates some of the energy of yellow
(Chapman). Green is mainly a symbol of nature and rebirth but also carries meanings of:
abundance, luck (only in western culture, some other cultures believe green to be bad luck),
hope, harmony, freshness, safety, success, and a down-to-earth kind of feel. But like yellow,
green also carries some opposite meanings: sickness, greed, envy, immaturity, and in-experience.
Green also has more shades than any other color Greens range from yellow-greens, such
as lime and avocado greens, to those with a blue tinge (such as emerald). Aqua or turquoise are
colors that are typically half green and half blue. (Morton). Light vibrant greens can be used to
show excitement, while muted greens can add a sense of professionalism, and olive greens give
off an earthy tone.
Blue. The only cool primary color and the most popular color, along with being the color
of the sea and the sky, blue symbolizes many different things. Blue conveys importance and
confidence without being somber or sinister, hence the power suit of the corporate world and the
uniforms of many police officers. Long considered a corporate color, blue, especially medium
and darker shades, is associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism (Bear).
Lighter shades like sky blue express: peace, serenity, spirituality. While darker shades express
power, wisdom, and authority. Although in western culture blue also symbolizes sadness and
melancholy, as when someone is feeling blue.

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Purple. A secondary color, a mixture of red and blue, Purple is cool like blue and
powerful like red. This color gives the essence of spiritual fulfillment, and symbolizes magic and
mystery (Johnson). One of the many vibes given from purple is almost a supernatural feeling,
due to its rare existence in nature and it expense of being created. Purple carries the meanings
of: mystery, spirituality, the sub-conscious, creativity, royalty, magic, and (purple) evokes all of
these meanings more so than any other color. (Morton)
NEUTRAL COLORS
White. This is known as a reflection of all color and design-wise is used to enhance the
colors around it. White symbolizes: purity, cleanliness, peace, simplicity, minimalistic, and
innocence. While in western culture white is used for marriage, in eastern culture it is used for
funerals and mourning.
Black. Known as an absence of color rather than a color itself, black has many different
meanings. On a positive side, blacks meanings are: elegance, sophistication, credibility,
empowerment, and prestige. On the negative side black carries meanings like: death, horror,
sadness, bad luck, evil, mystery, and rebellion. (Although in some cultures white is associated
with death rather than black). In design, black goes with practically any color, as long as the
paired color isnt too dark, or else they will blend together.
Gray. A mixture of black and white, gray is a neutral color that has the seriousness and
sophistication of black without carrying all the negatives. Gray is a color of mourning and is
usually described as a moody color. In design, gray is used for corporate websites, where they
want a nice professional feel.

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Brown. A neutral color, found in nature and gives off the feelings of wholesomeness and
earthiness. While it might be considered a little on the dull side, it also represents steadfastness,
simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health (Bear). In design brown is usually used as a
background and a replacement for black when dark enough.
In this paper, the various aspects of color theory have been discussed to show how color
can be used to create attractive websites where the colors used help convey the meaning and
content of the site. Effective use of color should encourage viewers to view the websites in the
first place and revisit them often.

Works Cited

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Bear, Jacci Color Symbolism: What Different Colors Mean to Us About n.d. Web. 26
Apr. 2012
Chapman, Cameron Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color
SmashingMagazine 28 Jan. 2010 Web. 26 Apr. 2012
Johnson, Ben Meaning of Colors in Designing Logoinn 29 Jan. 2009 Web. 26 Apr.
2012
Morton, Jill The Meanings of Colors ColorMatters n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2012