In the first article in this series, we reviewed the psychological power of color and how colors are subconsciously associated with symbolic meanings.

Colors have the power to affect our emotions, perceptions, and interactions. I failed to mention the color symbolism in the first article, Web Design Tips: Power of Color Part I was based on a purely Western perspective.

Other cultures may view colors from a totally different psychological point of view than Westerners. For instance, Westerners commonly view the color red symbolically with love and passion.  But, it represents good luck to the Chinese, and purity to those from India. Red is the color worn by brides in the East and mourners from South Africa.  It represents Communism to Russians and a color of Christmas and Valentine’s Day to most Americans.

Find out what a particular color may symbolize before targeting unfamiliar cultures.  This will help you to avoid any unintentional offense. Otherwise, web designers trying to maximize the psychological power of color may have their attempts severely backfire.

That being said, this second article will focus more on the effective use of color combinations and how color can be used to bind a design together for optimum appeal. Here are some web design tips to help in choosing colors in your next web design.

Web Design Tip #1) Don’t use more than two or three colors on a single page. Too many colors become too busy and distracting.

Web Design Tip #2) Use the same background color on each page of the web site. Maintaining color consistency throughout the web design is very important to overall site continuity and avoiding appearing disjointed.  Think of uniform background color of all site pages as the glue holding the site together.  Take away your glue and the site starts falling apart.

Web Design Tip #3) Avoid making large portions of a web site very brightly colored. This can not only be very distracting it will produce the opposite of your intended effect. Bright colors should only be used in small areas as a highlight, because they tend to evoke a feeling of excitement. If large areas are already bright, there is nothing to highlight and you have lost the intended effect.

Web Design Tip #4) Make sure any company logos posted on a website match the real colors. The shade you picked may look “prettier” to you but if it isn’t a perfect match the business site’s owner will not be pleased. Logo recognition is critical to site branding.

Web Design Tip #5) Use dark colors to bring subtleness and calm.

Web Design Tip #6) Find out the color preferences of important decision makers. What general color scheme does the client has in mind?

Web Design Tip #7) Work with clients to come up with color schemes that suit their business and matches their purpose. When developing a web site for a client, be sure you fully understand their mission and purpose before even starting on a design. Find out what are they selling, to whom and why. Who is the primary client base? What audience is the company trying to target? What direction would they like their business to take?

All of the answers to these questions are critical in helping determine the most effective use of color for a website. As a web designer, you need to understand that ultimately the final decision rests on the client and they may not always understand your choices so explain why things they want would or would not be to their advantage in your web design.

Web Design Tip #8) Monotone color schemes may be good for simple yet elegant web designs. Monotone web designs can be effective color scheme choices whenever a client wants a site to be simple, elegant and calming. The monotone color scheme can also be the most cost-effective when printing business supplies like letterhead and advertising.

Web Design Tip #9) Monochromatic color schemes can be poor choices. That is, unless you also use black in the web design. Monochromatic text and background colors are too hard to distinguish and highlight important points.

Web Design Tip #10) Complimentary colors work best at attracting attention. Colors from opposite ends of the color wheel compliment and contrast each other and work best at attracting attention. Adding black or white helps achieve a very harmonious and attractive design.

Use color combinations and color effectively to bind a design together for optimum viewer appeal. Keep clients up-to-date on any decisions regarding color, or other design details you wish to incorporate. Making sure the client’s vision and desires are taken into account in their web design will make them a happier satisfied customer.