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Color Theory and Web Design

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ImageColor theory is the practice of using the meaning behind colors to bring about a sensory experience. This practice can be applied to web design with some knowledge and thought. A carefully selected color scheme will create the mood of the website, evoke a certain emotion. That is why it is important that the color scheme used on a website is in line with the product itself, its target audience, and characteristics of a product.

Warm colors will bring about sunny emotions and are wisely used on sites that want to call to mind a feeling of happiness and joy. As a case in point, yellow became a popular color in web design in 2009 when the global economy wasn’t doing very well and companies wanted their customers to feel sunny and comfortable on their site. Cool colors are best used on professional and clean-cut sites to achieve a cool corporate look. Cool colors stir up emotions of authority, establishment, and trust.

In the end the colors used will evoke certain negative or positive emotions, and can ulteriorly affect the sales and popularity of the product you are selling on your website.

A personal example of mine are the websites of the low cost carrier airline EasyJet.com and RyanAir.com. I mostly book EasyJet when it comes to low cost airlines. Why? Simply because EasyJet seems more trustworthy the website more work, and easy to navigate, while RyanAir is very strident, too bright, which in the end looks cheap, something you do not want to be associated with your flight. So Easy jet won me as a customer partly because of their color scheme. Soft, orange/yellow color, which makes it more safe and pleasant to navigate through.

So pick your color scheme wisely when choosing the personality of the products or service your are trying to promote on your website. It really makes a difference!

Here are some links to some nice articles about color schemes.

http://www.paper-leaf.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ColorTheory_Screen_White.jpg

http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/a-look-into-color-theory-in-web-design/

C.

Business Case, News, Opinion

Online Safety & Co-Creation

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Just a small paranthesis: if there is someone else out there that is a freak like me when it comes to purchasing things online 🙂 .. http://mashable.com/2012/01/16/zappos-phishing-scams/  you can never be too safe 🙂 …

Yes, I am a relatively late adopter of everything there is on the Internet, nor am I an enthusiast of creating my own things on-line even though I am starting to be more comfortable with the idea. And while we talk in class about designing your own shoes, and make your own T-shirt and Greeting Card etc. and  customization of all sorts  I’m thinking why do people need to do that? when there are designer and real creative people that will do it a million times better than us. For me the challenge is to find those people  🙂 ..(just a little thought)

Articles, Business Case

Social Media & Luxury

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Hey Guys,

So while I was researching for both the presentation on Thursday on the UnMe Jeans, and research for my thesis topic, I came across this blog and article about how Luxury Brands adopt and integrate Social Media into their marketing strategies. http://luxurysocialmedia.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/louis-vuitton-or-how-to-master-the-art-of-social-media/

I thought it was a nice example to complement the topic for the UnMe Jeans and the Web 2.0, and also just and interesting article to see how luxury brands are integrating social media and engaging with customers. and especially how the traditional definition of luxury had to radically change in the last couple of years.

Hope you all have a nice evening

C.