Attention-grabbing Red in Web Design
Colours in web design do more than just offer a presentation. They often speak for the product or service, not with words, but with moods and feelings.
The colour red is one of three primary colours and is thought to be the colour to provoke the most response among humans. Red is considered a warm colour, along with orange and yellow. This intense colour is also known to induce emotions from passion to violence.
Red is a symbol of high energy and aggression. It is often used in warning or danger signs. This is because the colour red stands out against backgrounds of white or black. Red and its many shades are also used as a symbol of love. Hot reds to pale pinks can be found in many romantic greeting cards and are used in the symbol of the heart.
Red has been found to have such a huge impact on people, it can even cause the heart to beat faster. The colour red is often used to draw attention making items appear stronger, brighter and heavier.
As mentioned, red can convey many moods, feelings and emotions. This is also true in web design. Red is commonly not used as the main colour in web design, but often serves as a complementary colour in specific areas and many designers steer clear of red as a main colour because of its diverse associations.
If using the colour red on a webpage, it is best to use it as an accent colour, to ring attention to specific links or words on the page. If using red all over, then a deeper, darker red would work best. A bright red is hard on the eyes, being too bright and can make it difficult to read contrasting words.
Common website colour schemes that use red are the colours black, red, white and grey. With just a pop of red, this can be a very formal-looking webpage. The colour red will stand out making visitors take notice of key words.
For those that like red, a good choice is a monochromatic colour scheme. Using several shades of red with a contrasting colour for links or main words can create a powerful webpage. For example:
- Hot or dark pink is a very warm colour and is associated with heat. This can be literal heat as in summer, or figurative heat as in sexy/attractive.
- Pink is a soft and feminine colour offering a certain feeling of comfort.
- Bright red shades are attention-grabbing, up-to-the minute colours. When used in combination together they can give a very clean appearance of professionalism and modernity.
- Dark red evokes feelings of warmth, coziness and reliability. A welcoming feeling can be achieved with the use of dark red.
- Pink and black, when used in combination, suggest femininity with professionalism.
- Red and blue together give a vibrant and “happening” feeling.
- A red, white and black combination evokes a lot of moods and feelings. There is minimalism from the white, attention-seeking from the red and seriousness from the black. Together they produce a clean, clear result.
- When red is used amongst other colours, it will usually still stand out as the most prominent colour, therefore, if using red in a colour combination, it should contain a call-to-action or some very important content – it will often be the first thing viewers look at.
Remember to use bright, pure red sparingly. If too much bright red is used, this will draw the attention of the visitor away from the words and what you are trying to get the visitor to read. Using the colour red wisely on your website can be a huge benefit.
