Why Colour And Cultural Considerations Are Integral To Web Design (Part 1)

These days, colour and the way it is viewed by different cultures is of huge significance for the web design industry; something that they were not concerned with in previous years. This is because the websites created here, in Australia, can be viewed by people living in the United States, or in England or even in a less technologically advanced country, like China. And, as each of these countries has their own culture, it is becoming increasingly important to avoid offending viewers whenever possible.

Red

Whilst the colour red is universally recognized as the colour of the Chinese New Year (and is said to represent luck, good fortune and prosperity), most cultures will also have their own views when it is used in web design. In Western cultures, for example, it is the colour of passion, excitement and, when coupled with green, Christmas. In Eastern and Asian cultures, red is often worn by brides on their wedding day because of its associations with luck, purity, happiness and life. In Latin America, on the other hand, red is coupled with white to create religious themes and the Middle East views the colour as one of evil.

Orange

The only universal interpretation for orange is that it is a colour often associated with religion; it is the colour of gluttony according to Christianity, for example. In the Middle East, orange is seen as the colour of mourning and loss, which is in deep contrast to other cultures, such as Latin America, that see it as being sunny and the colour of the earth in web design. Some Eastern and Asian cultures (especially Indian) see orange as being sacred and associate it with courage and love. In the world's Western cultures, on the other hand, it is the colour of autumn, warmth and even royalty, as well as being associated with Halloween.

Yellow

There are not many universal interpretations of the colour yellow, except that its gold variations are associated with wealth. The Western interpretation of the colour being bright, cheery, warm and summery is the one that is generally accepted across of the world. The views of the Middle East tend to mirror those of Western cultures in terms of yellow and web design. In Eastern and Asian cultures, the ruling class often wears yellow because it is considered sacred and imperial. Latin America, in a complete turn around, associates the colour with death and mourning.

In parts two and three, the cultural views of many of the other colours that are commonly used in web design (including: blue, green, pink, black and even white) will be explored. It is hoped that, with a greater understanding of how these colours are viewed around the world, cultural sensitivity can be widely practiced.

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How to Design a Quality Web Site

There are some very important aspects to designing a web site. We have all visited sites that just looked questionable as soon as the home page loaded. Maybe it's the color scheme or all the flashy lights or even glaring spelling errors that we notice first. But all of these not only take away from the quality of the site they also take away from the legitimacy of the site. Most of us are very leery about things like making purchases on sites such as these. There are some web design elements that make a site look appealing, legitimate and trustworthy.

Color Scheme

The colors which are chosen say a lot about your site. It is important to use enough color to be appealing but using too many or the wrong combinations can be repulsive. Some colors just should not be used together - ever! But many can be very complimentary of one another and make for a stellar design. One rule of thumb is to just choose two colors and do not use any other colors with them. Any more than two colors can be overwhelming to the site visitor. A light green and tan is complimentary of one another. It is okay to use neutral colors like black and white with the two chosen colors. This line of thinking is similar to when you are designing your company logo. Just a couple of key colors and some neutrals mixed in. It is also important to note that colors can evoke specific emotions. Red can evoke anger or frustration whereas Yellow can be energizing. Choosing your colors can mean the difference between a successful site and one which fails.

Navigation

Other than the actual layout and visual appeal of the site, navigation is perhaps the most important element. If a site visitor cannot navigate to the resources on the site then they will become frustrated and leave before making a purchase or reading your content. Navigation should be set up to minimize frustration for visitors. It should be easy to get from page to page, a back button should always take the visitor "back" to the previous page, and there should be a home button so the visitor can return to "start" at any time. There should not be a lot of guesswork for users, they should be able to find what they need and get to it easily.

Limit Attention Getters

One of the most annoying things for visitors is a lot of flashy banners and such. The intent of course is to get the visitor's attention which works; but is not beneficial. They do get a lot of attention but they can actually have the opposite effect. Flashing images and moving banners can distract from the actual content or purpose of the site. It is much better to create a simple, but attractive site free from distractions.

Get to the Point

Designing a site is like creating a business plan. The web master should sit down and write out the purpose of the site and what he hopes to accomplish through setting it up. Everything on the site should be geared to this purpose. If the site is dispelling information, it should be easy to get to and easy to read. If it is selling products then the products should be accessible and easy to find, purchase and order. Visitors should not have to guess what the purpose of the site is, it should be apparent.

Designing a web site can be somewhat complicated. But the website should not be complicated. The basic rule of thumb is to cover what needs to be covered, but keep it simple.

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