Friday, February 15, 2013

How Color Impacts Your Content and Websites

I'm not a designer but as a copywriter, I work with designers and I write web site copy and content for the restaurant and food industry. Color plays a huge role when it comes to impacting your audience in a negative or positive way. If your content does not visually appeal to your targeted market, then you will probably turn them off as soon as they click on your blog or website.

When choosing colors for your content (from layout design to fonts), think carefully how about these colors will emotionally impact your audience. Colors appeal to the senses. For example, the biggest visual mistake in the restaurant and food industry is grainy, black and white food photography that restaurants use in their menu, websites, and social media. Food photography should pop with rich, appetizing colors. The dishes should LOOK delicious and appealing and not turn your customers' stomachs as soon as they look at the pictures.

Before you go wild with color, consider the psychology behind colors and the feelings they evoke: 

Green - a healing color tied to health and also related to animals, nature, balance and harmony. Green can also be tied to money and finance (i.e. money green).

Red - feelings of passion, love, action, strength, power, boldness, sense of adventure etc. and can also be considered an "angry" color (i.e. fire-engine red)

Blue - Soft and harmonious (pale, softer pastel blues) and darker blues reflect professionalism and success.

Purple - Royal, regal and luxurious (deep bold purple) or whimsical, dreamy, wistful (softer lavender shades)

Orange - Fun, creative, youthful, vibrant and energetic

Pink - Sweet, tender, and youthful/innocent

Brown - Earthy and natural

Grey - Reserved and neutral

White - Clean, pure, simple


Black - Serious, formal, mysterious/secretive 

If design and color aren't your forte, hire a professional designer to help you choose the best colors, layout design, etc. for your content and site. The wrong color choices could easily scare or turn off your targeted audiences.
















1 comment:

  1. My web and blog colors were somewhat out of convenience (I wanted to be a shark, so a shark in blue water), then later found out that it evokes harmony, success, professionalism. Win!
    Interesting blog, Therese.

    ReplyDelete

Therese Pope, Copywriter/Content Developer & Digital Buzz-icist

Content Writing & Marketing Tips ** Online Buzz Branding

** Digital & Social Media Strategies