color website for designers

Color Your World

Date Published

Found
In

Share

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Color is a powerful and often underutilized tool in our day to day lives. It has the power to make the bland become appealing, boring become inspiring and has the ability to excite our eyes and senses. Below we will even go over some color websites for designers. It allows organizations and brands to differentiate from each other. It allows us to craft a story visually before the first words are spoken. When applied to websites, color allows us to create that identity that makes us different, special and unique.

The dictionary definition of color is “a phenomenon of light (such as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects”.

While I can spend hours on the philosophy of color, I would much rather spend my time focusing on the elements of why color is important in everything we do. I decided to bring the concept “down to earth” and how marketing and branding can make a true impact if done correctly… visually!
The usage of color is more than adding a visual pop to a web page, handout or banner. Did you know that there is a psychology behind what we see and how that makes us feel? Let’s take the idea of color further and specifically talk about groups of colors and how you can apply Color Theory to your life and business.

Color has the power to set the mood when trying to generate a specific response. Color theories allow us to define a logical structure for color and identify the relationships between other colors.
We all know the basic color wheel consists of red, yellow and blue and these colors are called primary colors. Beyond the primary color scheme, there are secondary colors and tertiary colors. Below is a brief explanation of each color schemes and the basic premise of how they relate to another.

Primary Colors
Red, Yellow and Blue
Secondary Colors
Green, orange and purple
Tertiary Colors
Yellow-Orange, Red-Orange

Mixing a primary and a secondary color creates a tertiary color. In many cases when you see colors hyphenated such as yellow-orange or red-orange, your mind should automatically associate it as a tertiary colors.
Each of these colors carry strength, but utilizing them all together in a way that would visually fit is called Color Harmony. Color Harmony refers to palettes of colors that are pleasing to the eye. Every color fits together in an analogous or complementary way and when applied to specific logos or branding materials the result can be magical and leave a long lasting visual impact. When starting a business or bringing a new product to market, isn’t that half the battle… making a visual memory so that people can easily remember you!

Below are some of the tools that I use to help create that long-lasting impact:

Coolors.co is a tool I use frequently when I am operating with a blank slate and I have the opportunity to create a brand from the ground up. By pressing the spacebar, you will be introduced to different pallets that might spark your creativity. Many times, a particular color jumps off the screen and screams the brand I am working on.

Ginifab.com is a great tool when I have an idea or a picture to start from. I upload a picture to find out what colors would fit. This allows us to create brand and image consistency.

Finally is Adobe Color. This is especially important for visual learners to actually see the concepts I have articulated above in action. A homework assignment for all of you following along is to use the website and see how a particular scheme changes.

Next time when you see a commercial of a popular brand, pay attention the colors they are using and how it makes you feel. Utilizing the right colors is just as important as designing the right logo, it places your audience in the right frame of mind from the word go. So utilize color, play around with color and open your eyes to a larger more colorful world.


If you have questions about branding, color theory or a free website evaluation, please contact me at sahil@thecitymix.com

ready to take your business to the next level?

Get in touch today and receive a complimentary consultation.

more insights

Marketing Strategies

Unlock Your Brand’s Potential: Top 3 Marketing Strategies to Elevate Your Business

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, standing out from the crowd is more crucial than ever. Effective marketing strategies can significantly enhance your brand’s visibility, engagement, and ultimately, sales. However, with an overwhelming number of options available, it can be challenging to identify the best avenues for success. To simplify your journey, we’ve compiled a list of the top three marketing strategies that can help unlock your brand’s potential and propel it to new heights.  1 Content Marketing: The Power of Storytelling Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build a loyal audience and establish your brand as an authority in your niche. At its core, content marketing revolves around creating valuable, relevant, and consistent content that resonates with your target audience. Think blog posts, podcasts, videos, infographics, and social media content.  Why is storytelling so powerful in content marketing strategies? It connects with audiences on an emotional level. Great brands understand that consumers don’t just buy products; they buy stories and experiences. By sharing your brand’s journey, your values, and insights into your industry, you can create an authentic connection with your audience. This authenticity leads to trust, making potential customers more likely to choose your brand over others.  To capitalize on this strategy: Develop a content calendar to ensure a steady flow of content that addresses your audience’s pain points. Use SEO techniques to optimize your content, making it easily discoverable. Leverage social media platforms to amplify your reach and engage directly with your audience. 2 Social Media Marketing: Engage and Connect With billions of users across various social media platforms, social media marketing is an essential strategy for brands looking to engage directly with their audience. Social media allows businesses to build relationships, showcase their personality, and interact in real-time.  One of the key benefits of social media marketing is the ability to target specific demographics with precision. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer robust advertising tools that enable businesses to reach their ideal customers. Additionally, social media provides valuable insights into consumer behavior, helping you fine-tune your marketing strategies.  To make the most of your social media marketing: Create a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged. Experiment with various content formats, such as stories, live videos, and reels, to create dynamic interactions. Encourage user-generated content by running contests or showcasing customer testimonials. This not only increases engagement but also fosters community and trust. 3 Email Marketing: Nurturing Customer Relationships Email marketing strategies remains one of the most effective methods for nurturing leads and maintaining relationships with existing customers. With an impressive ROI of $42 for every dollar spent, it’s a strategy that shouldn’t be overlooked. Unlike social media, where algorithms can restrict your visibility, email allows you to communicate directly with your audience and control your messaging.  The key to effective email marketing lies in delivering value. Rather than bombarding your subscribers with promotional content, focus on providing information, tips, resources, and personalized offers that cater to their interests. Engaging subject lines, eye-catching designs, and compelling calls-to-action play vital roles in ensuring your emails are opened and acted upon.  To enhance your email marketing strategy: Segment your email list based on demographics, buying behavior, and engagement levels. This allows for tailored content that speaks directly to the interests of each group. Regularly analyze your email performance metrics – open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates – to refine your approach. Utilize automation tools to send timely messages, such as welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and birthday discounts. In a world brimming with marketing options, focusing on content marketing, social media, and email marketing can help you create meaningful connections with your audience, boost engagement, and drive conversions. By integrating these strategies into your marketing mix, you can unlock your brand’s potential and set yourself up for long-term success.  Remember, the key to successful marketing lies not just in selling a product, but in telling a story, building relationships, and delivering value. So go ahead, and let your brand’s journey unfold!  Need Help with your  marketing strategy?

Read more >
optimize images

5 Secret Ways to Optimize Images Without Breaking the Bank

In the world of digital marketing, website speed, and performance can make or break your online presence. One of the biggest culprits behind slow loading times? Poorly optimized images. Fortunately, optimizing images doesn’t have to break the bank. In this blog post, we’ll explore five secret ways to optimize images that are both effective and easy on your wallet. 1 Use Online Tools to Optimize Images One of the simplest and cost-effective ways to optimize your images is to use free online tools. Platforms like TinyPNG, JPEG-Optimizer, or ImageResize.org allow you to compress images without losing quality. Simply upload your file, and these tools will reduce the file size, ensuring quicker load times on your website.   The advantage of using online tools is that they often have intuitive interfaces and require no software downloads. This method is perfect for individuals or small businesses that deal with occasional image uploads. Just remember to check the compressed images for quality to ensure they still meet your visual standards. 2 Leverage Bulk Compression Software If you’re dealing with a large library of images, consider using bulk compression software. Programs such as IrfanView and GIMP often provide batch-processing options that allow you to optimize multiple images in one go. Although some software might require a small upfront cost, they typically save both time and money in the long run by speeding up your workflow and reducing storage requirements.  Another economical alternative is to use open-source software like ImageMagick. While it may require a bit of a learning curve, it’s incredibly powerful for batch processing and image optimization. Investing some time initially can yield significant dividends, especially if you regularly handle large volumes of images. 3 Resize, Resize, Resize! One of the most common mistakes is using oversized images. When you upload a high-resolution image (think 3000×2000 pixels) but only display it at 300×200 pixels on your website, you’re wasting storage and bandwidth. This excess data can lead to slower load times and a poor user experience.  Take the time to resize and optimize images before uploading them. Tools like Canva or even your computer’s native photo editing software can help you set the dimensions to what is actually needed for your website layout. This simple step can significantly reduce your image file sizes without compromising the quality of the displayed image. 4 Choose the Right File Format Different file formats serve different purposes, and selecting the right one can make a world of difference. For instance, JPEGs are fantastic for photographs due to their ability to compress well without significant quality loss. PNGs are better for images requiring transparency, while SVGs are ideal for simple graphics and logos since they are resolution-independent.  Taking the time to understand the strengths of various formats can reduce file sizes dramatically. Even better, many optimization tools allow you to change the file format during the compression process. 5 Use CSS Sprites If your website uses multiple small images, consider combining them into a single image file, known as a CSS sprite. This technique reduces HTTP requests and improves loading speed, as the browser loads one single image rather than multiple ones.   While creating CSS sprites might sound complex, there are user-friendly online tools like SpriteSmith or CSS Sprite Generator that can do the heavy lifting for you. This approach is not only efficient but can also be a cost-effective solution for small business sites with limited resources. To optimize images doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. By employing free online tools, leveraging bulk compression software, resizing images appropriately, choosing the right formats, and utilizing CSS sprites, you can significantly enhance your website’s performance without overspending.   With a little bit of effort and creativity, you can ensure that your visuals are not just eye-catching, but also optimized for speed, providing an improved experience for your visitors while gearing up your site for better search engine rankings. So go ahead, give these tips a try, and watch as your website transforms into a faster, more efficient platform.  Need Help  Optimizing Images?

Read more >

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze website traffic. By clicking “Accept“, you agree to our website’s cookie use as described in our Cookie Policy. You can change your cookie settings at any time by clicking “Preferences.”