Topic awaiting preservation: Choosing the right color?

When I design and website I start by creating a design in PS. Most of the time I
use a company theme or a logo to decide the website coloration. My question is:
Is there a easy way to choose colors that will easily "flow" with a website?
Maybe some sort of color thery? Most of the time I can come up with something
good, but sometimes I have no idea what to do! Any advice?

-buddy

[This message has been edited by buddylee (edited 02-18-2004).]

:FAQ: Can you direct me to good resources on colour?

edit: ermm.. pushed the submit button before I added any text with the link to the FAQ. I'm not real big on any of the "colour wheel" type things that are out there... and I'm not real keen on the links provided in that FAQ. But eh... some find it useful.



[This message has been edited by Michael (edited 02-18-2004).]

you could try out Web Whirlers color wizard. i find that a very helpful site for when i'm stuck.

When I need color inspiration, I go to the local Sears store, to the paint section of the hardware dept. All the paint companies have these little paper strips with 3 or 4 colors each on them. You're supposed to take them home and see if they go well with your drapes and upholstry.

Anyway, I browse through those racks til I see a color combination I like. Sometimes I grab 7 or 8 of those strips and bring them home and scan them...instant color palettes. I have a directory filled with those things. The pre-put-together palettes are very helpful for me.

[not one laugh from any of you]
The Martha Stewart line of paint, I find, has the best color combinations. They're called 'Martha Stewart Everyday Colors.
[/not one laugh from any of you]

yeah the Martha Stewart black and white striped paint is selling fast!

Another old trick is to follow that masters, and look to nature. Find a pleasing photography of some flowers or a landscape [or gasp, go outside.] Observe the colors, use them as a guide. Another key is to limit your pallete best designs use 2 maybe 3 max colors (Hue), any more it become diffucult to balance. If you need additional color for depth or clearity choose shades (Value) of the existing hues. Look into color wheel, Artistic Color Theory, and complementary color on google.

Here is a intresting link to get you started: http://webdesign.about.com/cs/color/a/aacolortheory.htm

I also noticed at the book store there have been several recent books on color theory. Perhaps the coolest was a color dictionary. It listed common names of colors, and what real world objects they are commonly assoicated with. It was about 300 pages /hardcover, I would have got it but it was a litte to costly right now.

I did just get, Color Bytes, by Jean Bourges, it's was used so I don't know if it's still avialable but it is intresting, it discusses color, it's emotional effect, and use. Thou you have to be careful about the cultureal diffrences when using colors for emotional effect. For instance in some asian cultures the brides may wear black where in the us bride typically where white.

J. Stuart J.

Trial and error for me. I just draw little boxes and fill them in with a variety of like-minded colours in Photoshop until I get a combo I like. If it looks right to me, then I go with it.



Amerasu

heh mobrul, I thought I was the only one who went to the paint/hardware store and stole those swatches.

Hehe, I steal those swatches too. =)

Actually, I steal just about anything that looks interesting. I'm not sure if they have these in the US, but in Australia there's a company that prints free post cards which can be found at pertty much every coffee shop. I have a massive collection of em and they often come in handy for inspiration with colour or general composition.

I also carry around a cheap digital camera and snap shots at anything and everything. I'll often flick through these and pick out colours with an eye dropper. Nature has the best colour combinations.

quote:

---

Actually, I steal just about anything that looks interesting.

---

hmmm...

Crap. They're on to me...

Oooh.. What's that?

*swipes Michael's sock and runs off down the hall*

[This message has been edited by Cameron (edited 02-20-2004).]

*shrugs*

*pulls out the real sock... and wanders off down the hall mumbling about the genius of his decoy sock idea*

I knew that was a counterfeit sock I picked up at the Pawn Shop late last night! !@#$% I just had to have that. When will I ever learn, all that glitters is not gold.