How to choose a color palette for the design of your site

The color palette is a set of colors used in the design of the site. By choosing colors website is subject to special requirements, because the colors are not only determine the look of your site, but will also be associated with your brand on the Internet. Most of the palette comprises from 2 to 4 colors, not counting the white and black. Let's use Webexpedition18 try to figure out how best to create a color palette for the site.

Choose Your main color of the site
to start is very important to choose the base color. So, if you already have a logo, it is best to use as the primary color used in the logo. If you have to choose a color from the ground up, you can use another method. Try to analyze the audience of your site in terms of age or social color preferences. Or use the information on the psychology of color and its impact on emotional state .

A little bit about color models
There are several ways to describe color using the quantitative characteristics. However, the color - a difficult concept, and therefore, depending on application needs, the color can be described using several color models. Consider the most common ones.

RGB color model
is most common in Web design. The abbreviation means the names of the three RGB colors: Red (red), Green (Green), Blue (blue). Its original color is black (the screen). All the other colors on it are obtained by combining the three colors, which, in its mixture should form a white color. In HTML documents, color symbols are given from 00 to FF in hexadecimal code, preceded by a # symbol.

The CMYK color model
This model is typical for the printing industry and printing. Abbreviation of the name means CMYK four colors: Cyan (blue), Magenta (Magenta), Yellow (yellow), Key (Black). Its original color is white (paper). All the other colors on it are obtained by combining the three colors, which, in its mixture should form a black color.

Since the RGB model covers a larger color gamut than CMYK, the all images intended for printing and graphic arts, should be transferred from the system RGB to CMYK. Thus, creating a logo for the site, using a system (RGB). And for printing business cards and letterhead, CMYK model is used.

Create a color palette
Typically, designers use a traditional color wheel to determine the color palette for the site. The color range of 12 colors was invented by Sir Isaac Newton back in 1666. There are several color combinations, selected by a circle, which is almost always look perfectly. Let us consider some of them.

A monochromatic palette
in a palette of only one color, but with different znachaeniyami saturation and brightness. Such schemes are accurate, noble and calming effect.

In the examples below, you can use the first color as the main one. The second color for text or background. The third color for begraunda or text. A fourth and fifth for the various graphic elements and accents.

Complementary palette
used in this harmony of two contrasting colors with a circle and one of them is selected foreground color. Other colors in the palette - a derivative of the saturation and brightness of the two prevonachalnyh colors.

So in the following examples, the third and fourth - are the main contrasting colors. 1 and 2 - shades of the third, and 5 - shade the fourth.

Split complementary palette
is kind of the previous panel, except that one of contrasting colors is divided into two adjacent colors.

Analog palette of
analog palette is based on three colors next to each other on the color wheel. Of these, one color is the main and two auxiliary.

Triadic palette
There are three colors that are equidistant from each other. Of these, one main and two auxiliary.

The palette of the rectangle
in this scheme uses two pairs of opposite colors. This scheme is quite complicated to use in the design because it requires very fine tuning.

Palette Square
This scheme is similar to the previous one, but all four colors equidistant from each other. It is also quite complex to use in the design because it requires very fine tuning.

Services to work with the color
palette to select a very helpful color wheel online, which actually makes all of the above types of palettes to choose from. You can also use a variety of curious services for working with color . And you can use my collection to have ready color palettes that I do with the creative works of artists and designers, color photographs, with a clever technique which removes the finished color harmony.

Use contrasting colors
Another rule, which should not be forgotten when choosing a color palette for your website - it is a rule of contrast . It is important to choose colors that will provide a good contrast between text and background images. For example, the colors, the most readable - it is black on white or white on black. But the orange text on a brown background is not enough contrast, and most likely will create inconvenience to readers.

More Colors
After you have chosen the color scheme, provided a good contrast between text and background, just select the auxiliary osalos color. Typically, this is your basic shades of colors. These colors can be used when you point to object references in the text or decorative shadow of the text. Do not overload the site of many colors, it will create unnecessary chaos and scare away visitors. Optimally, a 6.4 color on the site.