One-Minute Communications Tips Archive
June 2008

Web Colors: What Do They Mean?

Blues, grays, reds and greens dominate the color palettes of the most popular U.S. web sites as ranked by Alexa.com. Aesthetics and design principles aside, what do these colors symbolize?

Here's a brief overview of the colors' hidden meanings. It may provide insights about what kind of image your site projects.

Blue denotes wisdom, authority and sincerity. Bright blues convey purity and dynamism. It's no surprise that blue is corporate America's favorite color.

Gray is associated with the financial industry for good reason: it signals security, stability and reliability.

Red connotes confidence, energy, excitement and vitality. It is the color of choice when a company wants to project an active image.

Green symbolizes peace, harmony and tranquility. If you want to suggest growth, add a dash of green.

Other colors often appearing in the top sites include brown, which indicates order and wholesomeness, and orange, which stimulates creativity and socialization.
 

© Arun Sinha, Access Communications. Access Communications is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Communications's One-Minute Communication Tip at http://www.AccessConsultingInc.com. Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of business communications, distilled into about 150 words.

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