Create emotion with color
Scientists have documented the emotional effects of colors. It should be no surprise that different colors evoke different emotions, seeing how it has entered into our everyday language such as "feeling blue" or seeing red." To master a visual medium like UX, we must also master colors. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time to dive into the technicalities of color theory or art. In this article, we have compiled a quick reference that covers the basics of each color and how it relates to UX design.
Red is one of the most powerful colors, attributed simultaneously with love and war, red offers the proven physiological effects of increasing blood circulation, quickening breathing, and raising metabolism. Red elements are more noticeable, adding a sense of importance, whether good or bad. Use red carefully, since a little goes a long way. It's a great highlight for individual elements that need attention, but too much of it will inhibit relaxation. Light red draws out its energy, good for themes like youth and love, while dark red emphasizes power and durability, like blood or bricks.
Colors vary in degrees according to it's position on the spectrum, so colors like red, orange, and yellow have similar effects but different levels. Orange shares re'’s stimulating aspects, but to a lesser degree. This gives it an energetic aura without red's aggression. Orange is an upbeat color, great for casual sites but not the top choice for enterprise sites. We'll find many different interpretations of orange. Some say it encourages impulsivity, others say it increases appetite in culinary sites. Others say it denotes cheapness, for better or worse.
Yellow represents both happiness and anxiety, activating both in the brain. Like other warm colors it's generally energetic and upbeat, but brighter shades dial up this effect, making it a color often used for warning signs. If we use yellow, we can try softening its brightness for a more mellow experience. Light yellow reminds users of sun and happiness, and dark shades, like gold, are more serious and also give the impression of antiquity.
The most obvious associations with green are plants, and by extension, nature. Green bridges the gap between warm colors and cool colors like blue and purple, making it the most balanced color. Green's balance lends itself to calls to action, using the visibility of warm colors by the relaxing qualities of cool colors. Its nature connotations give it a sense of growth and prosperity, especially in the Western world for its association with money.
Blue is one of the most important colors in UI design, and one of the most frequent. This is partially thanks to its range, where light blue and dark blue offering different characteristics. Its associations with water gives it a calming effect, which leads to friendliness that invites users. It's no coincidence that the two biggest social media outlets Facebook and Twitter both use blue as their core color. This relaxing friendliness also translates into inherent trust, which is why it's used by banks like CitiBank, Chase, and Capital One.