The Safe Colors for Certain Types of Websites

Some people feel as though any color will work on websites. Unfortunately, that’s just a common myth. What you will find is that a lot of companies really put some thought and research into the color they use. You will find that more modern companies are using softer tones but brighter shades of color. Look at twitter. Twitter’s shade of blue has really made some changes in what people find to be good web design. That little light blue bird that stands out has been the staple for many web designs. It is simple, easy to identify, and many companies are looking for something that will help make their brand recognizable in todays economy where it is important to stand out from the rest of the competition. Below are some standards that I typically use or recommend when a client approaches me without a color pallet that they prefer.

Safe Colors for Business

Nine times out of ten you will find that a good color pallet for business is either red or blue. They are the safe colors that you can use. Many companies use them, they are generally easy to identify with. This is why politicians will typically use red or blue on their ties. It gives a sense of authority and respect. This is what companies really want in their own business across the board most of the time. They want people to look at them and feel as though they have some form of respect or authority in their own niche market.

I also believe that lighter colored websites generally are better for business. I think people associate with the old newspapers. They recognize the black on top of white for authority sources. For this reason, I always recommend to new businesses that have no preference to stick with lighter colored backgrounds. It does not have to be white, but generally you want your font to be the darker between the two.

Safe Colors for Personal Websites

Personal websites are a different ballgame all together. Instead of focusing on the color pallet, leave it up to the client himself. Generally, you might look at the color he/she is wearing to get a good idea of what their preference is. Sometimes, it might be earth tones, while others will prefer something brighter that will stand out from the crowd. I use that trick a lot when first meeting with someone about setting up a blog for them.

You also should look at the intent of their website. If it is purely for personal use where they are just voicing their opinion on things, then make it personal to their character. However, if they intend on using the blog for something else and trying to give a more authoritative approach, you might treat the design itself more similar to a business and stick with a lighter theme and perhaps red or blue.

Using colors to represent your intent

I mentioned this above, but at times you can certainly stray away from the typical color. Purple is one color that most people say is the least used on the internet in terms of web design. For good reason, most people just don’t identify purple with business. The exception to this though is if I come across a company and their name is “purpleelephant”. I can’t imagine not having purple spread nicely throughout the design. It is just to be expected! At times, you do not have to stick with the safe colors, you go with what the intent is. Take a peek at “Red Robins” website. I haven’t even looked at it, but I bet it has some red on it somewhere. It just makes since to be smart with your color options, but above should give you a good idea of where to go with a design when you have no color pallet provided by the web design client.