If you want to get your WordPress website to stand apart from the 64 million others, you must show your true colors, or rather, you should define a distinct website color scheme to represent your brand.  This is about more than getting your website visitors to think, “Ooh-la-la, this site looks sleek.” In fact, it turns out that the impact of your website colors hits deeper than aesthetic pleasure.  A study titled “Impact of color on marketing” stated that up to 90% of visitors’ snap judgments regarding products can be based on their impression of your brand’s color scheme.  What does this mean for you?  Having the wrong colors could result in missed purchases and site abandonments; having the right colors could generate increased purchases and higher traffic to your site.  But what exactly does it mean to have the right colors? And why do colors impact us deeply enough to influence our purchasing decisions?  We’ll be answering those questions and more in this article so that, by the end of it, you’ll have a good understanding of what makes a good color scheme for your websites. Understanding Why Color Matters It’s estimated that the average user will give you 8 seconds before they lose interest in your site and leave to browse someone else’s.  It may not be much, but that’s how long you have to make your case for why they should engage with your brand. And if you’ve branded yourself well using, among other things, aesthetically satisfying colors, you’ll be one step closer to growing a consistent following.  But why are some colors more pleasing than others?  In short, it has to do with color theory and our biological evolution.  The latter may sound far fetched, but consider for a moment how the color RED pops up everywhere in consumer culture, whether we’re talking about Coca-Cola, Budweiser, H&M, or the many other ‘red brands.’ As it turns out, our ancestral primates evolved to have superior vision compared to their counterparts. One key facet of said vision was the ability to distinguish ripe fruit, as well as the rush of blood to one’s face (blushing).  Both were critical for our development and survival as a species, so we’ve become acutely aware of those colors, among others. Enter Color Theory ” width=”934″ [Source: Unsplash, Efe Kurnaz] The origin of color theory dates back to Isaac Newton when he used a prism to reveal the colors of the rainbow trapped in a beam of sunlight.  Since then, color theory has expanded to encompass a modern collection of guidelines relating to color schemes and the psychology of communicating with color.  There are many tools that help you decide which colors are complementary to each other and otherwise, but to use them effectively, you should know the relevant vocabulary.  Hue Hue is what we mean when someone asks, “what color is this?” That being said, hue isn’t exactly a color. It’s like the basic material of a color that can be transformed in three ways via toning, tinting, and shading.  Tint A color tint is created when you mix its hue with white.  Shade A color shade is created when you mix its hue with black.   » Read More

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