When you are designing a Web site, one of the most important obstacles you want to tackle is how you'll make your site stand out. Of course, the easiest way to do this is with a great design. But what exactly makes designs great? In most cases, it is how the designer uses color. A good site has just the right balance of color, without being too overbearing. Color is so important, not just in web design, but in life in general that psychologists study the different meanings of color. With some research on color, you can take your site from ordinary to exceptional.

The first thing to note is that great web designs don't use more than three colors. Using more is distracting for the viewer and they end up not focusing on your actual site. When you decide which color palette you should use depends solely on your targeted audience and the product you are promoting. If you want to evoke happiness with your viewers, consider blues, whites and greens. These are associated with calmness and peacefulness, thus assuring that your viewers will be happy. You also have to be aware that different cultures view color meanings different
ly. If you are targeting different cultures, make sure you aren't unintentionally insulting or offending a group of people with your color selection.

If you are designing the site for a business, make sure the colors you select represent confidence and seriousness. If you just threw colors in your web design, it would look more like a children's coloring book rather than a professional Web site. After you have chosen the palette, make sure you stick with it. Don't put warm colors such as oranges with cooler blues and greens. They just don't go together in web design. Just like everything else in web design, simple is usually better.

While color may seem like an afterthought for amateur web designers, it really sets the tone for your entire site. The wrong color palette could send an unwanted message to people. They could see your site as amateur or unprofessional. The best way to combat this unwanted response is by researching the different meanings of colors and by considering your targeted audience. If you have a Web site for children, then it's acceptable to use oranges and purples. If you were to use this same palette for a professional business site, the outcome would be the opposite.