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Color plays a very large role in audience perception of a website. Numerous factors must be considered when choosing a color scheme so that the website serves its intended purpose and speaks to the target audience. Below we share three tips for picking the perfect color scheme for your new website.

1. Start with selecting your dominant color. Consider brands that are the most recognizable, such as Coca Cola or Starbucks. In general, the image that pops to mind is red for Coca Cola, and forest green for Starbucks. Those are their dominant colors. Red denotes a feeling of excitement, passion, and fun which is brand appropriate for a soft-drink. The color green evokes feelings of relaxation. Green is also associated with being environmentally responsible. When choosing your dominant color, make sure that it speaks to your brand as a whole.

2. The CCV rule: contrast, complementation, and vibrancy. Once a dominant color is chosen, appropriate colors must be selected for accent and background colors. Colors schemes should be aesthetically pleasing and also work to achieve website goals. The CCV rule ensures a better user experience as well as more effective branding. Contrast refers to the difference between two colors and is important for readability and capturing attention. Complementation is the use of colors together that sit opposite each other on a color wheel. “Opposing” colors accent or accentuate each other. Vibrancy does not mean the color scheme must be vibrant. Vibrancy is about selecting a color scheme that best showcases the brand's image online.

3. Utilize triadic, analogous, and compound structures. There are some tips to help pick accent and background colors. A triadic color scheme is comprised of 3 colors on separate ends of the color spectrum. On a color wheel, draw an equilateral triangle, starting from your dominant color. Use shades within the triangle to create a harmonious scheme. With analogous schemes, colors within the same spectrum are used and then differentiated by their vibrancy against each other, such as using shades of yellows and oranges, or greens and blues. When creating a compound scheme, a range of complimentary colors are used by choosing two colors on each side of opposite ends of the spectrum.

Avatar New York is an innovating, award-winning web design New York firm dedicated to providing clients with responsive websites that help grow brands and convert visitors to customers. With an expertise in web development, branding, cloud hosting, mobile app development, and CMS and e-commerce solutions, Avatar New York's top tier designers have the ability to create intelligent websites for any type of business.