Which colours to use for your new website design?

Often a really tricky topic… the colours which you choose for your website determine your brand, your ethos and also in many ways, the type of industry you’re in. It wouldn’t make much sense for example, for a landscaping company to choose pink as their primary colour.

This short guide which I’ve created will help you to choose the primary and secondary colours for your brand and ultimately your website design. There’s no right or wrong answer, but make sure you get some feedback from friends, family and perhaps even current clients if you have any. It can be very costly to make a mistake on your branding, particularly for a start up, where reputation and first impressions are particularly important. I’d suggest picking traditional colours for your industry vs. trying to be too different as you otherwise run the risk of alienating potential clients.

It’s important to remember the psychology of different colours and this will help you determine the best colour for your business.

Bright colours – Reds, Oranges and Yellows

Colours such as orange, red and yellow typically create a subconscious cautionary thought. They can also present danger and are commonly used in warnings and error notifications… ie. not the best colour to be using for a dentist or surgeon where trust, calm and safety are probably the primary intents.

Softer Pastel Colours – Greens and Browns

Much more traditional colours, the choice to use a green or brown in your brand will usually instil trust and tradition. You must be careful though, normally using brown will create a dull effect and often can clash with other colours. This colour is most suitable for landscapers and companies which deliver products which are usually brown – a packaging or delivery company for example.

Green can be really effective and really “pop”, but again you must be careful because certain shades of green can look really dated and nasty – the sort of colour you’d find in an overgrown pond!

Spotify is a great recent example of a brand which has adopted a bright green. It stands out and looks super clean! Below is a colour chart for different types of green which you could use in your website:

Blues and Purples

These are typically major trust signals – using blue is a peaceful colour which is why the NHS use it. Purple is often seen as a good choice because it can be used in both white and black backgrounds without it clashing.

Overall there are a lot of choices to make when choosing a colour for your branding and website design. My primary advice would be to ensure that you’re able to use your colours on a variety of different background and environments. There’s nothing worse than having a blue van and your logo is blue too, so it clashes and you can’t use it. Take a look at some of my web design inspiration for ideas on how colours go together.