Setting the mood
Colours are often associated with particular feelings:
- Reds hot, energetic, powerful
- Blues cool, restful, formal
- Yellow cheerful, vibrant
- Greens growth, freshness, harmony
Your colour scheme can be based on an existing style or logo, or simply chosen from colours that you find pleasing, but a little colour theory can be extremely helpful. Schemes can be based on one or two dominant colours, with complimentary colours to provide contrast where attention is required.
Planning an effective scheme can be time-consuming so visualisation software can be a real asset. I like to use a product called Color Wheel Pro. This program allows you to experiment with colour schemes and as you change the scheme on the colour wheel, it displays sample products - web sites, logos and product packaging. It's a low-cost product, and you can download a trial edition at www.color-wheel-pro.com (Opens in a new window).
Accessibility issues
Of course, if you are using colour to direct attention or give visual clues, you depend on the user being able to see them. About one in twelve men and one in 200 women have some colour vision deficiency, so its worthwhile making sure that your colour scheme is accessible to them.
To meet accessibility guidelines, colour should not be the only way of presenting information. Highlighting, underlining, or just a change of intensity can be effective.
One way of checking a colour scheme is to use a simulation to see how a page looks to someone who is colour blind. An on-line system called Visicheck is available free at www.vischeck.com. (opens in a new window)