Blog

Color is far more powerful than we give it credit for. Everyone associates colors with memories, emotions, and feelings. However, there is a psychology behind choosing a color for everything from the walls of your home to the landing pages on your website. Although you can’t expect sales to skyrocket just by changing the background color on your homepage, it never hurts to take a partly scientific approach to designing your website. Most graphic and web designers were forced through at least psychology 101 in college and will have a good understanding of the powerful messages which color can convey. But in case you slept in for that day of class, here is a breakdown of the psychology behind different colors and hues.

Red

Red is the color of roses, Santa Claus, and blood. Of those three options chances are “blood” stirred the most within you just as it does for everyone. The color is a vivid color that makes people sit up and notice. However, overuse can borderline disturbing or graphic. This is why red should be used with caution on your website and landing pages. There are few companies that can truly justify the goal of their website being to get customers riled up and ready to either fight or flight. Video game companies, edgy advertising agencies, and more may be able to effectively use red to brand themselves but people selling soap or social media consulting should use red sparingly.

Blue

Waterfalls, oceans, and the sky, nothing is more relaxing and soothing than the color blue. Blue is popularly used on websites for companies who want their customers calm, relaxed, and ready to trust them. Some psychologists even report that blue is viewed as a color that can treat and relieve pain which is valuable for companies who are in the business of healthcare or reputation management.

Yellow

The sun, rubber duckies, other yellow objects make most people’s associations with the color yellow a happy one. Words used to describe yellow in the mental health community include “stimulating” and “purifying”. This is a color that can truly make a person smile just by looking at it, especially if they live somewhere where it rains all the time. Yellow is a great color for use on landing pages because it draws attention without distracting people from the text. It is generally recommended to never use yellow (or other colors for that matter besides blacks and greys) for text though because it is difficult to read.

Green

Green has turned a whole new corner in its psychological meaning over the last decade. The color has always depicted nature, trees, and grass but now it has taken on a whole meaning. With the growth of “going green”, the color green is one of the most powerful landing pages colors for companies who want to appear environmentally friendly or at least down to earth.

The first goal of your landing page’s should be to relay your company’s brand and mission but the use of color can greatly enhance or handicap your site depending on if it is used effectively. Remember to keep your landing pages readable and then add in levels of psychologically specific colors to really hammer home your company’s image home.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to work with a professional designer who can help you pick the color palette that works for your brand.