web_builder Tips: Finding the Right Color Combination for Your Website
Henry Kay
May-05-2005

Finding the Right Color Combination

Color combinationsGive your site a little flavor and a lot of punch

 


Color My Website...

In a great Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin asked his father a question as they sat outside on a beautiful evening, "Dad, why were pictures in the old days black and white?"

Without missing a beat, his father explained, "Oh no, pictures back then were in color. The world was black and white."

We so often take color for granted. They affect our attitudes and reactions, but we often don't pay attention until we see something dramatic like a beautiful sunset or a bright spectrum of wild flowers. The same is true for your website.

Color not only helps with the look and feel of your site, it can also help you group content, link similar items and resources, and show importance and priority.

The colors you choose for your website say a lot about your ministry's personality, focus, and mood. Think about what certain colors and color combinations will say, and how familiar colors will help guide people around your site. Remember, great colors can be a good hook into your site.
So here are some great tips to make your website colorful AND noticeable but not overwhelming.

 

What Colors Convey

Each color and color combination brings out a specific mood and feeling for every individual. Some of these characteristics and personalities are common to most people, and can support your purpose. Colors can subtly communicate key aspects of your ministry, for example:

  • Reds - energy, determination, passion
  • Blues - tranquility, trustworthiness, intuitiveness
  • Greens - growth, abundance, vitality
  • Yellows - enthusiasm, playfulness, optomism
  • Browns - stable, earthy, reliable
  • Purples - spiritual, visionary, power
  • Whites - light, goodness, innocence
  • Blacks - power, elegance, seriousness, mystery

So for example, if you were building a website for your children's ministry, you could use brighter colors such as greens and yellows. For a more serious and formal site you may want to stick with a white and black contrast, with one or two accent colors to highlight key items.

Check out these sites for more definitions and meanings of color:

 

Color Identity

First Love ChurchForMinistry provides multiple color combinations to help you establish your site's color identity. Start with your template. Pick a color (color combination) that gives your website the look and feel you desire. When you pick colors for text, borders, and titles, check to see if the colors will fit with your template. First Love Church (www.firstlovechurch.net) is a good example of how attractive a simple use of color can be. This ministry uses mostly reds for their English site (and blues for their Spanish site); they incorporate accent colors through the template image in the top left and by placing strategic photos on each page.

White space is also a key to use of color. Don't forget that the eye needs to rest! White space can actually highlight content. That way you don't need to use as much color (or as many colors) to emphasize your key points.

Once you decide on a look, stick with it. Don't fall into the trap that everything needs to be changed often, or the trap that the more colors you use, the more things will stand out.

A few other good examples include:

You can also check out these sites and their use of color:

 

Color Combinations and Schemes

There are many different theories and philosophies about what colors to use and which colors go together. You can find some good resources online, but the bottom line is to experiment and ask for feedback from those who will be using your site.

Here are some great resources to check out:

 

Until next time...
Henry Kay, web_builder host

Contact me at support@forministry.com


Progress