Designing In and Out of Color!

Suppose you were watching a Star Wars episode and all of the Empire's tie fighters were colored pink. Do you think they would look so threatening? No. They would look more like Mark K Cosmetics representatives making their product deliveries to the local starbases. Do you think The Matrix would have the same "coolness" to it if Keanu Reeves was sporting a tie-dyed colored trench coat instead of black? Not likely. How about a Sunny Delight orange juice commercial where everyone wore black and the house looked like it should be on used in a Freddy Cruger movie? That would make you think that someone was going to kick your ass if you drank the stuff and is probably not the desired impact the advertisers wish to make.

If a picture in black and white is worth a thousand words, what is a color picture worth? Millions? Yes, and maybe millions of dollars, too. Color introduces realism, thus inviting participation. Depending on the use, color can take your design from boring to high-impact. Some studies indicate that color ads generate up to 50% more inquiries than black-and-white ads. It would be safe to assume that a color banner with flesh tones instead of desaturated photos would have the same affect.

Tests have proven that color accelerates learning, retention and recall by 55% to 78%. Color increases comprehension up to 73%, motivation and participation up to 80%, reduces error count from 55% to 35%, and sells products and ideas more effectively by 50% to 85%.

Colors can stir impulses in people, making them want to satisfy a need. Have you ever noticed how food companies use certain color to make a sale? Many food products come in red packages or have red on their labels. There's a reason for that. Have you ever associated a package color with your sense of smell or with its contents being liquid or solid? Package designers use these tactics to drive an impulse. If you want to drive a sense of impulse, use red to signal urgency.

Remember the days when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore the orange uniforms? Before they switched their colors to the mean looking pewter and red, they were the worst team in the league. Do you think the color change had an impact on the players, opponents and fans, and hence, their ability to start winning and making good decisions? Hmmmm...food for thought.

If a client approaches me and needs a design for their upcoming site, BigTittyGirlsFromPlanetX.com, and it needs a space-age theme, I might start with blues, chrome, and some rustic browns in there somewhere. Or, more realistically, for a "teenie" theme site, pastel colors seem to enhance the young spirit to the tour. How about a fetish look? If it's a dungeon or BDSM site, maybe try using dark reds, blacks and also some chrome look. Here, you may be trying to portray an "underground" look. On the contrary, for a mature lady site, you may want to use lighter colors, gold, silver or colors that portray an elegance and sophistication.

Of course, one thing when using colors in ANY design, is to make sure they match. One thing that bugs me totally is seeing a great looking design, but the colors are so mismatched, that it looks like a box of crayons were left out in the sun too long. OR, use of too many colors, especially in text, can make the design look too confusing. Unless you're trying to direct attention to certain words, there's really no need to make each line of text a different color. Instead of giving your surfer a hard-on, he'll end up getting a headache.

Certainly, nothing is concrete, but the fact remains that people respond differently to colors. Before starting any design, sit back and imagine what colors truly represent your theme. Not only will it make your design look more fitting, but it might also create the desired impact on the customer.