In a face-to-face meeting our bodies and faces portray unspoken meanings. We smile, gesture, laugh, and become nervous. It’s these little nuances that help us communicate. A website does exactly the same thing. The difference is: a website does it with color. Colors themselves contain a cornucopia of meaning. They can make us happy, sad, angry, comfortable, nervous, and even trusting. While it seems simple enough to choose a graphic and then design a site around that graphic, you may unintentionally be presenting a derogatory impression. The colors may contradict the content in unintended ways.

Colors and their meanings

Green and white work well together, but in Japan a white carnation signifies death and a green hat in China means a man’s wife is cheating on him. A green hat with a white carnation in the brim wouldn’t be a good choice for a company logo. However, green is the easiest color on the eye; it has a calming effect which is why it is most used in hospitals. It relaxes the patients. Different shades of green have different meanings: yellow-greens are the least preferred colors by consumers.

Red has been shown to increase blood pressure and heart rate. People working in a red environment work faster, but they also make more mistakes. It increases appetite, restlessness and nervous tension. Creating a site with bright red and bright blue is a very poor idea! Bright red has the longest wavelength and bright blue has the shortest. When viewing these colors the human lens has to adjust to focus, and it tries to focus on both. This tires the eyes very quickly and will give the viewer a headache.

Websites that contain different shades of blue, or a blue and white combination tend to be more popular. Why? Blue represents calm, stability, hope, wisdom and generosity. People inherently trust blue websites faster. Add blue text and people will retain more information from your site. Combine blue, purple, and white and you have nobility.

Thankfully you do not see many yellow sites. While yellow can increase concentration, it is the hardest on the eyes. Paint a room yellow and you will make babies cry and adults lose their temper. Yellow is a very spiritual color and eye catching. Used in small amounts it is very inviting, cheerful and the number one attention getter. Forget blinking animations, just use a small, nicely designed yellow graphic.

Let’s talk orange for a minute. As a fruit, I love it. As a color, I don’t love it. It always reminds me of Jell-O and that reminds me that the EEG of Jell-O is the same as the human brain. Orange does have its pluses though. It tends to make more expensive products seem affordable and suitable for everyone, almost like a natural sales pitch. Brighter orange is hard on the eyes and is not recommended for text or background images. Small amounts of bright orange can help create a “fun and interesting” site.

Action and Reaction

Color affects how we feel, our perceptions, and our interactions. A visitor has already made a conscious choice to visit your site, now you have to keep his or her interest. You have between 8 to 10 seconds to visually appeal to the surfer. Through color you can make a surfer feel welcome, comfortable, relaxed, and trusting. If you take existing graphics on a site and change the color you change the way the site is perceived, thus changing a person’s reaction.

Taking a water-based product and placing it on a purple or orange site decreases marketability. Purple and orange are not immediately associated with water or nature and will give the site and product a “false” impression. Placing that same product on a blue or green site will increase the desire for that product. While we naturally associate water with the colors blue and green, not all site designs adhere to this thought process. Sites that are nature related receive better responses when multiple colors of green are used then any other color or combination.

Multi-colored sites, or “rainbow sites,” have the lowest visitation time. This is not the case if the site is predominantly white, while displaying only small amounts of various colors. As the multiple colors decrease, the time of visitation increases. Sites aimed at children, such as toy sites, often use a wide range of color to “entertain” the visitor. While this is smart marketing, displaying large quantities of multiple colors decreases the “fun” aspect as the eye tries to focus and concentrate on the overly busy page. A smart rule of thumb when using multiple colors: do not use more than 5 colors, keep them either “warm” or “cool,” and make the background white. Fun is more fun when it is easy on the eyes.

Warm and Cool Colors

Warm colors are based on yellows, oranges, browns, yellow-greens, and orange-reds, colors commonly associated with fall or autumn. Generally, warm colors tend to be more exciting and aggressive. Many people prefer them in small doses. Purples and greens are intermediary colors, being either warm or cool, depending on how much red or yellow they contain in relation to blue. If the color contains less blue then it is more likely to be a warm hue.

Cool colors are based on blues, greens, pinks, purples, blue-greens, magentas, and blue-reds, colors more commonly associated with spring and summer. Cool colors are soothing, calming colors and tend to be more popular than warm colors.

Creating a site with a combination of warm and cool colors confuses the viewer. It will often make the site seem busy, dirty, and untrustworthy. Site designers do not always realize that their color combinations are warm and cool. The use of a color wheel can be helpful. It shows the Primary (red, yellow, and blue) and Secondary (orange, green, and purple) colors. Combining two primary colors creates secondary colors. All colors are made from some combination of white, black, and the primary colors.

What does all of this mean to web designers ? If you want your site to be marketable, remember that there is more to it than just graphic placement and text. Every color tells a story and it may not always fit the one you are trying to portray. In informational design, distinguish functional color from decorative color. Decorative color enhances the layout by making it more aesthetically appealing, creating a mood, or establishing a style. Functional color conveys information explicitly.

Last, but not least, a few rules of thumb

Make sure the choice of colors for a site fits the intended content, and the users’ expectations. Never use more colors than are necessary. Do not use colors that do not support or add to the information being displayed. Remain consistent throughout the site with your color choices, and leave the rainbows for rainy days and for chasing pots of gold.

That’s right, if you don’t catch your visitors attention right away, statistics shows us that your visitors will come and go within 15 seconds or less. That doesn’t leave you with a lot of time to grab someone’s attention!

Some of you may be asking yourself:

Well why does this happen ????

See when you think about it, 15 seconds to the “browsing eye” is like an eternity. In other words, it takes about 15 seconds for the average person to browse your main page and determine whether they will explore your site further!

So with that being said;

How do we grab your visitors attention????

Every new client of mine is asked to perform the same tasks. I ask them to explore their competitor’s web sites and look for specific triggers that would make them want to click on or buy right away. More times than none, my clients will notice specific “Headlines” or “Graphics” that really peek their interest. In doing this, you’ll have 1st hand knowledge on what you expect your visitors will see and possibly expect themselves.

Step 2, I’ll ask my clients to do one more process just like the previous one. I’ll ask them to make a list of all the “eye candy” that really caught their attention and write me a little note as to why it caught their attention. In doing this, it will give your web designer a 1st hand knowledge on what to implement within your site!!!

With these great tasks, you’ve made your job and the job of your web designer a lot easier to target your audience.

Sites that sell “Web Site Templates” :

You may have seen some sites that sell your the right for a specific “Template Style”. There are 100’s of resources out there. I need to clarify something for you, these templates are targeted at web designers only!!! Reason being, the files that you receive will no doubt require some expensive and time consuming software just to open them.

Now being a designer, I’m not about to “knock” pre-made templates but there’s a couple of things you may want to consider:

1) Although the templates you may encounter are very impressive, you will be sharing your layout template with 100’s, maybe 1000’s of other sites. The reason why they are so cheat is because those “specific templates” are sold and re-sold as much as possible!

2) I’ve noticed that many template examples out there on the web are extremely “Graphic Driven”. This will result in “slow loading times”. I’m sure we’ve all come across a site that seemed to take FOREVER to load!! How long did you actually wait for the site to load????

The best way to get a template is to have someone professional design your web site layout for you! This will ensure that your template is uniquely designed for your business. It will be easier for you to make changes in the future. Typically, a template may cost you between $0-$1000 depending on the intensity and added features!

Now, we’ve talked about “Slow loading pages”. I’ve found a good “norm” to stick with when it comes to size and speed: Web sites are compiled of 2 elements:

1) Graphics & Layouts

2) Programming & Pages

Both of them require memory from your computer when downloading them. If one or the other is too large then this may result in negative results for your visitors.

Here’s a good norm to stick with, either you or your web designer should stick with these specs:

1) Graphic Design Layout: Should be no more than: 30-50K in size

2) Programming Pages: Shouldn’t be more than: 10-30k in size

Giving your entire web page no more than 40k-80k in size. Anything drastically more will result in the loss of many visitors from slow downloading pages.

Animation: Last but not least, making “some” aspects of you page stand out by adding small size animations. PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT overkill your site with graphics and animation!!! I can’t stress this enough, your visitors will most likely get a head ache from it and won’t be coming back very soon.

Instead, try targeting specific promotions or services you wish to attract your visitors to right away! Many sites exchange “animated banners” with other sites to exchange traffic. I personally NEVER take part in adding ANY banners on my site. I honestly feel that banners only take away from the design, not add to it! A typical “Banner Dimensions” is 468px x 60px. There are many other sizes!

What I will usually take part in, if any, is smaller, more unique banners that are geared to complimenting an article or text with it. This is much more effective because study shows us that “Content (text)” accompanied by a “graphic image” is more likely to be read by our visitors than just text on its own.

STOP!!!!

Take a deep breath and read some practical tips for professional looking websites.

1. Select a colour scheme and stick to it.

If your company has a logo or preferred colors on its stationery that’s a good start. For those of you starting from scratch, consider the use of good graphic design, choose two or three complementary colours and stick with them – don’t change colours on every page.

The most common colour schemes include:

- Red, yellow and white
- Blue and white
- Red, grey and white
- Blue, orange and white
- Yellow, grey and white.

If you’re not sure what colour scheme to choose, surf the internet and find a website that you like. You can then model your colour scheme on what already exists.

2. Provide an easy to use navigation system.

This is one of the most important issues to consider when designing a website. You need to ensure your visitors can find what they are looking for easily. Most websites either display their navigation bar on the left or at the top. And since most people are used to this type of navigation, it’s best to stick with it.

It also helps to include your navigation bar at the bottom of each page to save your visitors from having to scroll back to the top.

3. Don’t go overboard on special effects

Whilst it is ok to have one or two special effects to jazz up your website, spinning graphics and logos often distract your visitor from the content, not to mention they can take too long to download. Your visitors may click away even before your spinning logo finishes loading.

4. Backgrounds

Ensure your visitors can read the text on the background, ie. no black writing on dark blue background or yellow on white. Also be careful that your links are visible before and after being visited. The default for links in most programs is blue (before being visited) and burgundy (after being visited), so if you have a dark background, ensure your links are light.

5. External Links

It is a good idea to open links to other websites in a new window. That way your visitors can easily return to your site when they are finished browsing the external link

6. Site Map & Search Feature

If you website is more than 15 pages, it is useful to have a site map or a “Search” feature to ensure your visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.

7. Content is King

While it is important that your website looks clean and professional, it is far more important that you concentrate your efforts on the content and promotion.

8. Professional makes perfect

So do you feel this job is very difficult? I recommend that you hire a professional web designer. So long as you prepare the concept and plan your online business, leave this job to the experts.

If you want a professional website, things to stay away from include:

1. Flash intros, revolving globes, bevelled line separators, animated mail boxes
2. Loads of pop up or pop under boxes
3. Autoplay music. Allow your customer to play music only if they choose.
4. Hit counters of the free variety, which say “you are 27th visitor”
5. Date and time stamps, unless your website is updated daily or weekly
6. Busy backgrounds.

Don’t sweat the small stuff and get yourself focussed on what to include on the website and the best way to promote it. We will cover these topics in future articles.

A TOTAL PACKAGE
When you set out to design the letterhead you will be using for your professional correspondence, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind. That big picture includes envelopes, business card , brochures, catalogues, postcard mailers, etc. The logo, color scheme, graphics and font should be consistent throughout in order for customers to associate the printed materials they receive with your company and its services. Tempting as it may be to use one design for letterhead and a completely different one for your business cards, this will defeat the purpose of establishing uniformity and product recognition.

WHAT YOUR STATIONERY SAYS ABOUT YOU
If you received a letter of introduction that was xeroxed on cheap quality paper and stuffed in a mismatched envelope, what would that tell you about the sender? In the quest to make a good impression on your clients and customers, this is no time to cut corners by using shoddy materials. The message communicated by amateurish letterhead is that not only is the company lax when it comes to professional presentation but that it is probably selling inferior products as well.

As part of your homework, start taking a closer look at the various pieces of business correspondence you receive in the course of a week. Which ones project confidence and stability? Which ones convey elegance and prestige and make you feel as if you are part of a select community? Which ones have a breezy whimsicality that make you smile and want to read on? Which ones have incorporated graphics that have absolutely no correlation to the product or service? These assessments will enable you to identify what kind of feeling you want evoke from your own clients when they open an envelope from your office.

LOGO DESIGN
A good logo is a stand-alone symbol of your business. This design is carried over into all aspects of your advertising program. Examples of corporate logos include Nike, Coca-Cola, Merrill Lynch, Polo, and McDonalds. While you don’t necessarily need a logo to communicate who you are, it’s something to keep in mind as your company grows. The main thing to keep in mind is that a logo should be straightforward and uncluttered. As a piece of original “art” it will also be registered as your official trademark. For business owners who aren’t artistically inclined, a logo contest is a popular way to stir community interest and attract talent.

CHOOSING APPROPRIATE GRAPHICS
If you are designing your own stationery, there are plenty of business software packages on the market that will assist with layout techniques as well as provide you with thousands of free clip-art images. These images are categorized under topics such as professions, communications, food, nature, animals, history, etc.

Depending on the nature of your business, you will want to choose a graphic that is consistent with your products and services. For instance, a catering business would utilize graphics related to food. A dog-walking service would be well served by pictures of cute dogs. There is also a distinction between graphics which have a cartoon quality and those which utilize actual photographs or imagery that borders on fine art. If you are a photographer yourself, you may want to consider using a software program such as Photo Suite editor to manipulate the image into a suitable graphic for incorporation.

Speaking of photographs, there seems to be a mindset among real estate agents, lawyers, and wedding planners to use their own headshots on letterhead and business cards. In all honesty, I have yet to be influenced by any of this self-promotion to want to pursue their services. Why? The majority of these tend to look cheesy.

PERTINENT CONTACT INFORMATION
In addition to the name of your company or shop, your stationery should contain your mailing address, telephone number and fax number. Your website may be practical to add, too. If your organization is related to the arts and has a significant Board of Directors or donor list, don’t be surprised if these people want to be included on the letterhead. If it’s only a small list, you can usually put them in the upper right hand corner as a counterbalance to the logo or graphics. For a longer list, display them down the left hand side of the page. These listing should be in a smaller font, a different color, or even embedded as a watermark so as not to conflict with the actual text of the letter.

FONTS
Never go with a typeface that requires deciphering. The font you use should be simple and easy to read. While that’s not to say you can’t go with a stylized font that suggests the Far East, a Broadway handbill or a bit of Gothic creepiness, it should be readable at first glance and in a size that doesn’t require squinting. Do not mix and match multiple fonts within one document; at the max, use no more than two.

COLOR SCHEME
Bright, fluorescent paper in hot pink, flaming orange and neon green may get a reader’s attention but not in a positive way. The reason is that it’s too hard on the eyes to read. If in doubt, opt for cream, light gray, pale peach, pale sage, or light yellow. Select a good quality, 20# paper as well, whether you are going to be printing these materials on an as-needed basis or taking your camera-ready master to a neighborhood printer.

SUPPLIES AND PRINTING
If your volume of correspondence and billing will be fairly light, there are a number of retail and Internet paper supply companies that can accommodate your need for coordinated products. You can also purchase paper, envelopes and do-it-yourself business card packages from outlets such as Office Depot and Office Max. If you will be dealing with a higher volume of communications, however, your needs might be better addressed by taking the camera-ready master or a computer disk to a local printer. If your image involves special embossing or engraving, the production costs will be higher than simple photocopying. The initial typesetting fees and preparation of printing plates may be expensive but many printers offer discounts to customers who order supplies on a regular basis. Always comparison-shop before making a final decision.

HIRE THE BEST STATIONERY DESIGNER
Whatever your business idea, however the concept of your business idea, you may consider to hiring a professional graphic designer to do all the visual needs of your company identity and stationery.

A company logo can reflect the product or service. For instance, if you make birdhouses, your logo could have a bird in it. If you sell tea, your logo could be a teapot. You can even design your logo by taking a simple drawing of the product you sell and incorporate it into part of your name. An example would be, if you sell tea and your company name is “Catherine’s Herbal Tea”, draw out a teapot and make the “C” the handle on the teapot. There is an endless number of ways to be creative when designing a logo.

Remember when designing a logo, the simpler it is, the cheaper it will be to duplicate on your business cards, brochures, T-Shirts, hats etc. Keep the colors to a minimum in order to keep costs down. A simple black logo on a white background can be effective. Another example is to design your company name into a shape that reflects your location. For instance, if your company is called “Hill Country Productions”, you can design the letters to form the shape of hills. Easier than that would be to just draw simple lines to imply hills and put them behind or above your company name.

Different computer programs can help you design a logo. Look for programs like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. It is just as easy to freehand a logo and it doesn’t cost you anything. There are professionals who can help you design your logo, but their fee can be more than you want to spend. If you don’t think you can design an appropriate or effective logo yourself, then it will be a good idea to hire someone to do it for you.

Logos ideas can be gathered by having contests to see what different people can come up with. The winner could be given a $50.00 prize for example. You could put out a questionnaire asking people’s opinions on a logo or even a company name. Find out what people like.

After designing your logo, see how it looks from a distance. Can you tell what it is? Will people know what it is when they see it on a small business card or a large banner? Sometimes the size of a logo will distort it and it may not look like what you intended.

A logo does not have to reflect the product or service you provide. Think about the style and the theme you wish to convey. Who is your target audience ? How much do you want to spend on a logo? You don’t want your logo to overpower your company name. Think about the balance of your name with the logo you choose. Take everything into consideration when designing your own logo. After you choose several logos, study them for awhile and get others input. A logo is something you will live with for a long time. So if you still have doubts about this, you better consider hire a professional graphic designer that will work on all the needs your company’s visual identity, such as logos and stationery.