How many colors can I use for my website?

Even though there's no definitive answer here, field experts usually recommend designers stick to two or three main colors. Less can become quickly boring, whereas more would be exaggerated. Indeed, dozens of colors everywhere will probably not look professional or self-confident.

Do big brands use primary colors?

Yes, of course. Coca-Cola and McDonald's are among the first examples that immediately come to mind. Primary colors have the advantage of being noticeable and easy to remember. Plus, those examples of brands prove that simple things can lead to big results too.

Are there any specific color palette trends in 2023?

Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that pastel, earthy, and retro (like the flashy 80s) tones seem to gain renewed popularity day by day. We notice they dominate many online environments (e.g., social media). But at the same time, no, because every field still keeps walking according to its internal criteria.

What is a split complementary color scheme?

A split complementary scheme is comparable to a simple complementary scheme because it also deals with contrasts. It is obtained with a mix of one primary (or dominant) color and two colors that are adjacent to that dominant color.

Can I go for a minimalistic black-and-white design?

Yes, you can. After all, black and white are nothing but shades of other colors. But here again, you will have to play around with some contrasts (grays, etc.) to obtain a more attractive result.

How to Choose The Perfect Color Palette for Digital

Reading Time: 9 minutes

If the world around us looks so mesmerizing in many regards, this is largely due to the presence of colors. We also often use them to express moods, emotions, ideas, and even ideologies. So it’s not hard to conclude that they also matter in digital contexts. Just think about it for a while. Haven’t you ever spent much time deciding which shades you would apply to a banner? Or say your homepage? Or maybe your Facebook cover photo? The examples are limitless. One thing for sure is that we all care about to choose the perfect color palette under any circumstance.

Contents

That’s precisely what our article is for. We will explain how to choose the perfect color palette, mainly for those working as designers. That being said, our guide could also be useful for anyone else, including ‘layman’ readers. After all, decorating with color is almost a day-to-day activity for most of us.

An Overview of Colors

First of all, we should understand the color language to choose the perfect color palette. We are discussing a field where you should preferably be an aesthete and a connoisseur. Does that sound too far-fetched to you? Well, you would probably agree that colors have a close connection with the concepts of beauty and harmony, right? Other than that, they also have their organizational system. Each belongs to a well-defined category according to the color theory. We may even claim that those categories are somewhat hierarchized. Indeed, we have:

Primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. These are the purest ones and come before every other possible color. Thus they can’t be obtained by mixing other colors.
Secondary colors: orange, green, and purple. Each of these is the result of two primary colors that have been mixed. For example, red + yellow = orange.
Tertiary colors: Think about a rainbow. It goes like one primary color, followed by a secondary color, then a primary color, then a secondary color, and so on, right? Every tertiary color usually results from adjacent primary and secondary colors. We may cite yellow-green as an example.

There are 12 colors within those main categories, which form what is known as a color wheel. Every other color, tone, or shade that you may know is part of this wheel, one way or the other.

There are a bunch of other attributes that characterize the phenomena known as colors. Here are some of them:

Properties (Makeup)

The color wheel contains nothing but a total of 12 colors. So how do you choose a color palette if the options are limited? In fact, you can obtain any variation you want by playing around with the following properties:

Hue: the color itself (red hue, green hue, etc.)
Chrome: the level of purity of the color (determined by the proportion of black, white, and gray added to it or not)
Saturation: the level of boldness or paleness of a color
Shade: determined by the quantity of black added to a pure hue
Tint: determined by the quantity of white added to a pure hue
Tone: determined by the quantity of gray added to a pure hue
Value: the level of darkness or brightness of a color

Warmness and Coolness

As strange as it may sound at first, every color has its own ‘temperature’. Colors labeled as ‘warm’ are shades of red and yellow. Those known as ‘cool’ colors are within the shades of green and blue. The adjectives are quite self-explanatory. One usually prefers warm tones to convey warmer, fierier feelings, whereas cool tones are said to be more ‘detached’ and calm.

This is, of course, somewhat open to debate. However, some particular environments seem to fit this classification. Imagine that you are designing a logo for homeopathic products. Intuitively, you will probably want to come up with something that transpires or promises serenity and comfort. In that case, using cooler tones would probably be more appropriate.

Also, a quite common rule is to refrain from mixing and matching different temperatures within the same design.

Psychological Meanings

Apart from psychologists, this is a topic of interest for art therapists, life coaches, and spiritual counselors (among others). Each color is believed to be associated with specific personality traits, moods, emotions, and even levels of spiritual evolution. For instance:

Red is supposed to represent passion, courage, excitement, sexuality, etc.
Orange is supposed to represent fun, carelessness, sociability, optimism, etc.
Yellow is supposed to represent happiness, confidence, new beginnings, success, etc.
Green is supposed to represent stability, abundance, harmony, eco-friendliness, etc.
Blue is supposed to represent calmness, loyalty, depth, peace, etc.
Pink is supposed to represent femininity, compassion, playfulness, love, etc.

The list goes on. It must be taken with a pinch of salt to avoid clichés and over-generalizations. Nevertheless, it can provide some food for thought since some colors are more often linked to particular business sectors. For example, pink for fashion, green for farming or vegan products, gray for industry, etc.

Relationships

How do you decide if someone is fashionable? Probably by assessing the harmony between their clothing and accessories, right? Colors grandly contribute to that so-called harmony through the relationship they have with one another. So anyone asking how to choose the perfect color palette for their design should know that relational aspect. Yes, even in the context of web design, you should also know how to use website color schemes in web design. Relational configurations are known as color schemes:

Monochromatic. This basically refers to designs using different shades of the same main color. So, for example, you may have a page with different variations of yellow, such as lemon (#EFFD5F), banana (#FCF4A3), flax (#EEDC82), etc.
Analogous. That’s the name given to designs with adjacent colors (according to their order in the color wheel). For example, red is followed by orange, yellow, etc.
Complementary. As suggested by the name, this relationship is based on contrasts. It usually occurs when one uses opposite colors from the wheel. For example, green and purple.

Numbers Explained

As you have probably noticed in our previous paragraphs, colors are also categorized with numbers. These color-specific HTML codes are known as hex color codes and sometimes as hexadecimal colors. We won’t go into much detail here. Let’s just say that all these codes start with a hashtag or pound sign (#). It’s followed by 6 numbers/letters with:

The first two refer to red
The following two refer to green
The last two refer to blue

This coding system lets us obtain precise colors, especially in computerized contexts.

Huge learning program in perspective, right? Don’t worry; you don’t have to learn every detail by heart. Just try to keep some generalities in mind to ensure a minimum of coherence to your chosen color palette.

A Primordial Factor: Your Design

There must be some coherence between your design and selected colors, wouldn’t you agree? Because there is a high chance your design has a given purpose or objective you wish it to accomplish. This is often overlooked by people wondering how to choose the perfect color palette. The word ‘right’ here should correspond to a certain mission. Suppose you are a business owner willing to build a website for your brand. In that case, what will determine your choice is your niche as well as the profile of your website. What we mean by profile is, in fact, the main function of your site. If you hope to make sales through it, you must choose your colors accordingly.

Let’s explain with some slightly stereotypical examples. Yes, we previously said that excessive stereotypes should be avoided. However, we must also be aware of some tendencies within our societies. Say, many (if not all) teenagers seem to prefer vivid, catchy colors. So if you are in a niche closely related to that age group, that should be your primary source of inspiration for your color scheme ideas. On the other hand, the industrial sector tends to be more fond of sober shades. Black, gray, or indigo are among the timeless favorites.

That being said, nothing prevents you from ignoring conventions and adopting a more innovative mindset. As long as you know what you are doing, you can modify the ongoing trends and even set new ones. Either way, never forget to double-check your choices with your audience. This is all the more important if you are designing for someone else. If so, you must meet your client’s expectations and order details. Your main priority should always be to ensure a satisfactory user experience.

Proceed Step by Step

Before picking colors for your design (e.g., a website), you would better prepare a checklist to choose the perfect color palette. Things are likely to evolve more smoothly if you follow a ‘chronology’ and then take the time to verify what you’ve done.

Choose Your Primary Color

First, you should choose the primary colors. Ensure it matches your niche, brand, logo (if available), and target audience profile. You can choose them according to the interests of your target audience. In this situation, the color theory will be really helpful for choosing the primary color.

Add Other Categories of Colors

Don’t forget the relational aspects that we mentioned before. Try to be consistent throughout your entire design. For example, stick to your decision if you have decided to work with complementary colors. Designs with too many color relationships and styles are not so appealing and exhausting for the viewer. You may have heard of the 60-30-10 rule. This rule claims that 60% of your design should include a primary color, 30% a secondary color, and 10% other color types.

Set Up a Background

Whatever you may be designing, a background will be needed to ‘hold’ the ensemble. You can choose white or a lighter shade of your main color if it’s a website. These will ensure better readability. Black or darkish backgrounds may be cool for websites dedicated to heavy metal or the history of pirates. But they usually don’t work so well for business-oriented websites.

Set Up a Typeface Color

Roughly said, this will be the color of your texts. Although the typical black over white is acceptable, you may want to soften things up. Discrete (but nonetheless visible) shades of blue or gray tend to be pretty ‘ergonomic’, so to speak.

Pro Tip: Use an Online Color Palette Generator

Feeling a little bit lazy? Then let these trendy online tools do the job for you, at least partly. Online color palette generators can help you get your perfect match in the blink of an eye. The current market is full of great options, such as Adobe Color CC, Coolers, and COLOURlovers. They will guarantee a coherent and good-looking palette you may use as a starting point. Some also include various tools that can assist every other aspect of your design project.

Become a Colorful Designer

We know that it’s easier said than done. As you can see in our article, the world of colors is a highly sophisticated one. Even if you don’t have to become an expert, you must integrate a few of the points we enumerated. Speaking even a little bit of the ‘color language’ is essential to understanding how to choose the perfect color palette. The success of your design depends on it. You will have to operate with a well-defined plan and avoid randomness.

So take the time to study the color theory and see how it fits your design project. See which combinations are likely to convey best your message and identity. Meanwhile, conduct a small market search to familiarize yourself with the preferences of your target audience. Then you will be ready to display your true colors.