Have you ever landed on a website and instantly felt welcomed? It could be the hero image or video that grabs your attention. Maybe the logo and branding create a strong first impression. Or perhaps the informative blogs intrigue you with their valuable content.
But nine out of ten times, it's the powerful impact of the colors.
Yes! Colors are often responsible for making a solid first impression that keeps you hooked.
Color schemes are more than aesthetic visuals. They have emotions, moods, vibes, and a deeper meaning associated with them.
Having the appropriate color scheme for the home page and landing pages is crucial. However, don’t forget the blog pages. Colors in blog design can complement your content and readers will find your blogs more appealing.
I have always been fascinated by the magic of colors. In this guide, I have crafted the basics of color theory for your blog website, especially for non-designers.
Ready to amp up your blog design? Let's get the brushes ready.
What is Color Theory?
Color theory is the science of blending colors in an aesthetically pleasing way. You can call it the language of colors. How they interact with one another. How they complement each other if used correctly. And how together they can transform the look of your website.
Let’s understand the basics of the color theory-
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors
You may have seen this color theory many times while exploring color schemes to choose from. But let’s revise it a little bit, shall we?
Primary Colors
Primary colors are the base colors or parent colors. You cannot make them by combining two or more colors.
Red, Yellow, and Blue are the primary colors. You can blend these colors in variable proportions to create different shades of secondary or tertiary colors.
Secondary Colors
A perfect blend of two or more primary colors creates secondary colors. As you can see in the diagram above, orange, purple, and green are the secondary colors.
Tertiary Colors
Tertiary colors are the combination of a primary and a secondary color. These colors unlock endless possibilities of palettes.
For example, red blended with purple can create a gorgeous magenta color. Blue and purple together can make violet. Yellow and orange can create a charming amber hue.
However, not all combinations of primary and secondary colors can be eye-pleasing. For example, red and green won’t make a pretty color. Neither will blue and orange.
Hue, Shade, Tint, and Tone of the Color
Now that you’re familiar with the basic concept of colors, here’s how you can play around with them to create different schemes and palettes.
Hue
Hue is the purest form of color. It doesn’t have any tint or shade. You must blend hues of primary colors to get the purest form of the secondary color.
When you mix colors with tint and shade, you’re technically combining more than two colors. For example, hues of blue and yellow will generate the pure green. But, mixing a tinted blue with a tinted yellow results in a tinted green.
Shade
We often use the term shade to describe lighter or darker forms of a particular color. Technically, it’s the amount of black you blend into the hue. You can create a custom shade of any color by controlling the hint of black in it.
Tint
The opposite of shade, tint is nothing but the amount of white blended with the hue. Similar to a shade, you can get a range of tints by adding a variable amount of white in any pure color. Colors can have both shades and tints blended together.
Tone
Tone, aka saturation, is a mixture of a color with both black and white (or grey) in a primary color. The term saturation is often used for digital images where you control the amount of black and white in the color. The tone indicates the same for the paintings.
You could say it’s a combination of a shade and a tint.
Choose Colors in Blog Design Appropriate for Your Audience
Colors can have a psychological impact on people. A color palette for your blog website can encourage various moods and meanings.
For example:
Orange showcases success and confidence. Yellow is a sign of happiness. Green is often used to promote growth or healing. White has a calming effect. Black is dramatic. Red can be dangerous or powerful.
You get the gist.
Colors can also evoke feelings of warmth or coolness. Shades of red and orange tend to feel warm, while blues and greens give a cool vibe.
Even different age groups and genders react differently to the colors. Women tend to like softer colors whereas men often prefer brighter colors. Similarly, children are attracted to vibrant brighter colors. Young adults tend to have preferences based on trends. Older adults prefer cooler colors.
You must be mindful of these factors while using colors in blog design.
Choose the Color Scheme for Your Blog
Different shades, tints, and tones of colors can create a unique color palette for your blog. Below are some examples that can inspire your website.
I’m using Adobe's color wheel to showcase various color combinations.
1. Monochromatic Color Scheme
The Monochromatic color scheme uses various shades and tints of the same color. The theme gives your website a chic, clean visual.
The monochromatic color palette lacks color contrast, but you can control the theme by exploring the shades/tints of your brand colors.
WeProfit is the best example of a monochromatic theme.
The creative use of purple shades with a hint of colorful animation makes it quite engaging.
2. Analogous Color Scheme
If you want a little bit of contrast for the blog color scheme, you can go for the analogous palette. It’s a combination of one primary color paired with two colors directly next to it on the color wheel. You can also choose two colors on either side of the main color to get more contrast.
Libenar, a baby product company, is the best example of an analogous theme. Their landing pages and blog pages follow a trifecta of Purple, Blue, and Pink, creating a softer theme for the target audience.
3. Complementary Color Scheme
As the name suggests, a complementary color scheme can be built using two colors exactly on opposite sides of the color wheel. You can use the appropriate amount of shades and tints to achieve high contrast.
Banky website uses striking yellow and blue to showcase the perfect contrast. The blue pops on the yellow background, giving it a fun vibe.
4. Split Complementary Color Scheme
If you’re looking for a subtle distinction in contrasting colors, split complementary can be your theme.
It takes one dominant color and two colors adjacent to the dominant color’s complement. Split complementary can give a vibrant contrast. However, since all the colors in this scheme can offer high contrast, it could be slightly complex to master.
Pinterest uses split complementary colors, with red as a base color and blue and green as accent colors, on various landing pages.
5. Triadic Color Scheme
The triadic color scheme uses three colors placed equally along the lines around the color wheel. Again, this theme can create a high contrast.
If not used with the right tint and shade, all three colors may appear bright. You can control the theme’s contrast by keeping one dominant color and shading the other two.
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism is a great example of reds, blues, and greens, a triadic theme. The high contrast makes this tourism website much more attractive and informative.
Pick the Primary Three Colors for Blog Design
Now comes the part where you apply the above insights to your brand. The colors in blog design are essentially your brand colors.
Choose the primary three colors that align with your brand’s personality. Research what your competitors are doing and what your audience would prefer. Craft an eye-catching color scheme using tints, shades, and tones.
Prepare a brand style guide with the corresponding hexadecimal codes for the colors. That way, you can maintain a consistent brand palette.
You can always use tools like Canva or Adobe to try out different schemes. Feel free to drop any queries you may have in the comment section.
Wrapping Up
A lot of websites often focus more on the landing page designs but not on the blog color schemes. Your blog page is as crucial as any other landing page. And using the appropriate colors on the blog page gives justice to your content.
While choosing colors for your blog:
- Start by focusing on the basic color theory and choose a theme that resonates the most with your audience.
- Remember, color psychology is powerful. As mentioned above, colors evoke emotions. They can have different impacts on readers of various ages and genders.
- Align the color theme with your niche as well. From the examples above, a baby products brand has softer colors on its website. A tourism website often looks well with contrasting colors and images.
- Apply your creativity to the color theme and keep it consistent throughout the website.
We’ve covered the basics of blog page color themes to give you direction. If you’re still confused, you may consider seeking a professional designer’s opinion. Alternatively, you can browse blog designs on Pineable to get started.
