Color theory or what colors mean

[quantum]

The human eye can distinguish approx. 128 different hues, and about 130 different tints. It is most sensitive to green, then red, then blue.

Red tends to be more confrontational, since it is focused in front of the retina. Blue is focused behind the retina, having a more subdued effect.

This may explain why red is used more in retail, and why blue is often used by corporations.

Colors have varying symbolic meanings and psychological effects around the world. The following is a general guide for Western cultures:

Red: Happiness, impulsiveness, optimism, strength, passion, intensity
Gold: Wealth, enlightenment, warmth
Orange: Communication, ambition, richness, expansiveness, generosity
Yellow: Cheeriness, enlightenment, action, intelligence, youth
Green: fertility, life, hope, prosperty, stability, security
Blue: Spirituality, conservatism, rationality, passivism, tranquility
Violet: Royality, loyality, power, wealth, truth, religion
_________________

Dust fills my eyes / Clouds roll by / and I roll with them / Centuries cry / Orders fly / and I fall again
Afford best design, implement best solution. Outsource your web design.

[quantum]

To add to that...check out these links to get an understanding of color theory before you decide upon your color scheme for your web site or printing job!

Color wheel, color harmony, color Context etc.
[http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html]

Design How-To: Find the Colors in Your Landscape
[http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/21076.html]

Choosing colors to communicate your message:
[http://www.valcasey.com/webdesign/color.html]

Quote:

All color is relative. Beyond subjectivity, a color can influence the interaction. Colors can 1) stimulate activity, or 2) be perceived passively Choose colors that reflect the message you are communicating. Ask what the feeling/mood of the color is. Is it on brand? Does it support your collective message / statement? Warm colors (more vibrant, higher contrast, more saturated) indicate excitement Cool colors add dignity (muted tones, ambient, less contrast) Consider relationship to the content (comic, serious?) Think about what is going to be on the page (images, text) Will it complement the images, can you read text on it?....etc etc.

Information about both electronic and pigment-based color theory:
[http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs092/VA10/HTML/start.html]

Quote:

The contents of the site can be broken down into four main sections: Electronic Color: A short introduction to electronic color and its differences from pigment-based color. Color Models: A brief overview of the history of color models, both pigment-based and electronic, and an application of two of the electronic models. Color Mixing: An introduction to Goethe and his color triangle, and an application using his triangle to experiment with different color mixing. Color Contrast: An introduction to the ideas of Johannes Itten and Joseph Albers, and an application of several of Albers exercises.

_________________

Dust fills my eyes / Clouds roll by / and I roll with them / Centuries cry / Orders fly / and I fall again
Afford best design, implement best solution. Outsource your web design.

[emm]

I admit that I never gave it much thought before. A good color combination always seemed to be something that is pleasant to the eyes and has good contrast to lead the eyes to the important part of the picture.
_________________
“You might say reality is the result of complex negotiations between the observer and the observed. But that is simply a point of view…”
Digital Bangladesh

[emm]

I stumbled on some sites that does the color matching job for you with an automated script. This maybe helpful to some people.

http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html
http://colormatch.dk/
_________________
“You might say reality is the result of complex negotiations between the observer and the observed. But that is simply a point of view…”
Digital Bangladesh