It’s no secret that colours can influence us physiologically and emotionally. Depending on your audience however, you will want to strategically choose colours to brand your site and make up your logo. The colours you choose will go a long way to subtly attract your ideal visitor and can ultimately influence whether they would like to stay on, or run from, your site. As a healthcare professional, trust is very important, so the colours you choose can impact this greatly. Whether we are conscious of this or not, colour sways our thinking and decision making. Of course, it’s always important to keep in mind the overall purpose of your site and the target audience you aim to reach.
So Which Colours Are A Good Choice?
During the first few seconds that someone enters your site they should automatically be able to trust your business and feel invited to have a good look around. There are a few colours that can help you achieve this. First off, consider that lighter colours are usually associate with positivity. With that in mind, don’t just choose a lighter shade of any colour, but rather lighter shades of the acceptable range of colours suitable for your business. For example, the colour green can be represented in many ways. A dark green is seen as masculine and very powerful, whereas a lighter and muted green closer resembles nature which has a calming effect. Let’s get into some more details about each of the colours…
Yellow
Yellow is no doubt one of the happiest colours. Because yellow is associated with sunshine, it can bring about a feeling of positivity and optimism – We all know how much better we feel when we pull back the curtains in the morning and the sun is shining brightly outside. Sprinkling a little yellow throughout your site should get your visitors feeling cheerful!
Blue
Another great colour for your website, blue is most commonly associated with security, peace and trust. Which is EXACTLY what your website visitors are searching for. Your visitors are probably searching for a business that will offer some stability, and what a relief it will be to them when they come across your site. Although blue does have the power to manage stress, overuse of the colour could evoke a feeling of depression, but usually using this colour will be positive as it is mostly related with loyalty and trust.
Orange
Orange is a warm and vibrant colour which can be very welcoming as it typically represents friendliness. It is best to use a neutral orange hue instead of a darker one as it can have a tendency to become too overpowering. Keep in mind, orange is partly red and red is usually associated with danger. Keeping the orange light and fun will give you the best results.
White
White symbolises purity and balance. In times of turmoil, this can give a person clarity. However, white, when used too much, could be seen as dull and boring. White is a great secondary colour to add alongside another more vibrant colour.
Colours To Avoid:
Black
Probably not a big surprise, but black is usually on the do-not-use list. Occasionally it can be used to symbolise elegance and sophistication with clothing and home interiors. When it comes to therapy practices though, it is best to use black as sparingly as possible on your website, within branding materials and in the practice itself.
Red
As mentioned earlier, red could also be a threatening colour because it often is related to danger. The vibrancy of most red hues can also overstimulate your visitor causing them to feel intimidated so use this colour with caution!
How Should You Use These Colours?
There are several ways you can incorporate colour on your website, but remember, your site doesn’t necessarily have to be filled with the colour to get attention or the results you desire. A few important points though – the background colours on each page of your site should be a neutral colour or at least plain, without patterns or watermark images that may detract from the information you’re trying to get across to readers. Most sites these days have two to three main brand colours and you can either choose a single colour and use a variation of hues or choose complimentary colours – either of these approaches will work. To add additional pops of colour, you can make your navigation links, “subscribe” or “purchase” buttons bright or bold colours that complement the main colours of your site, but just always bear in mind that no matter what colours you choose, too much of any of them can quickly become either uninteresting or on the other end of the spectrum, overwhelming, and may defeat the purpose you’re trying to accomplish. In all decisions in relation to your practice’s website, using colour strategically will achieve the best results.
A Great Resource for finding Harmonious Colours…
A great resource to play around with colours and share exact shades you find with others can be found here: https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/ – simply drag the circles to the colour you like, and take note of the HEX number which is the code for the colour. 🙂
