no no....not THAT!! I'm talking BRAND COLORS!!
You never know how many shades of grey there are until you go to paint your house and collect samples and realize "grey" is everything from taupe to steel blue.
Just like a wall in your living room, committing to a color scheme for your biz can be a bit intimidating but is SO important in building brand recognition.
Pantone's choice of grey, "ultimate grey," stands out due to its neutrality. People are often unaware that there are so many gray shades. Check out the grey paint chips at Home Depot next time you're there. Each grey is different when compared with the others, but they look relatively similar otherwise. A very warm grey can appear red next to a very cold grey.
Just look at all these greys! In some combinations, black can have a warm tone or a cool tone. With a name like "ultimate grey," it's bound to be very, very grey. The greyest of grey.
I love working with clients to get the "feel" and "vibe" of their business to come through in their web design. I'd love to help you iron out all the details of layout, font preferences and COLOR selection. I'm here to help you every step of the way to ensure you have exactly the look you are wanting and can put your best foot forward with a gorgeous website to represent your business!!
Here are a few color strategy tips to consider:
1. Use a Small Pop of Color to Send a Strong Message
Minimal design is all the rage these days and with good reason. It allows us to build websites and that look good and are usable.
But just because you’re toning things down, that doesn’t mean you can’t add some bold color to it. Rather than make it part of the overall design and color palette, though, consider adding it in at the perfect moment.
Filmmakers do this all the time. They create a story and setting that are definitely intriguing, but there’s nothing visually spectacular about them. Then you see this bright flash of color and it changes something in you.
2. Add Color to Turn the Mundane into Something Surreal
Do you ever feel like the photos you have to work with are just too blah? Maybe the stock photos you’ve found are fine, but not great.
If your brand has a big or outlandish personality, you can use color to bring life to even the most boring or unimpressive of images.
3. Be Careful with Color Grading
While it’s good to know that you have the ability to play around with color if the raw material isn’t working for you, be careful with what your photo manipulation does to the look and tone of it.
There was a study done on Instagram filters and the message people are unintentionally sending based on their choices. The same thing can happen by selecting the wrong filters or going too far in saturating an image.
Another possible risk in photo editing happens when the grading compromises the integrity of the subject.
4. Tell Someone’s Story with a Backdrop of Color
Think of this as a way of putting a spotlight on a product or a person. But rather than just use a white spotlight, select colors that instantly convey something more about what people on your site will be looking at.
They might not know the color is sending them any signals, but it’ll be there in their subconscious.
Bottom line, color is a really powerful force in design. While it would be great if you could add a pop of yellow to your hero image and instantly get a smile from visitors, that’s not always the reaction that specific color will elicit.
Instead, focus on ways to build a connection with visitors and then use these color strategies in critical areas. You’re more likely to get the response you want if it’s part of a journey as opposed to a one-off attempt to get an emotional response.