List of Common Colors and Their Most Common Meanings

  • Red: energy, passion, excitement, power; also implies aggression, danger.
  • Blue: coolness, spirituality, freedom, patience, loyalty, peace, trustworthiness; can also imply sadness, depression.
  • Yellow: light, optimism, happiness, brightness, joy.
  • Green: life, naturalness, restfulness, health, wealth, prosperity; in certain contexts, can imply decay, toxicity.
  • Orange: friendliness, warmth, approachability, energy, playfulness, courage.
  • Violet: wisdom, sophistication, celebration.
  • White: purity, cleanliness, youth, freshness, peace.
  • Black: power, elegance, secrecy, mystery.
  • Gray: security, maturity, reliability.
  • Pink: romance a feminine color.
  • Brown: comfort, strength, stability, credibility

Take into account who your web audience is (male vs. female, young vs. old, etc.) when choosing colors. If your site is primarily for men choosing pinks may not be the way to go.

Choose a minimum of 3 colors, and use those colors consistently throughout your site.  Keep in mind that visitors will be looking at your site for long periods of time,  choosing colors which are visually appealing and easy on the eye are key.

I suggest choosing from a natural palette of colors and highlighting with one bold color in your logo, keeping the text and body of your site clean and easy to read with a natural color palette.

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