Colour: practical design decisions

Colour is often overcomplicated. What matters is how colour affects readability, focus, and confidence, not symbolic meaning. Use colour practically.

What colour does on websites

Colour helps users understand hierarchy, recognise actions, read content comfortably, and feel orientation and consistency. Poor colour choices cause strain and confusion.

Contrast beats meaning

High contrast improves readability, accessibility, scanning, and confidence. Low contrast makes text hard to read, hides important elements, and feels unprofessional. Contrast beats psychology every time.

Colour and trust

Trust comes from consistency, restraint, and clarity. Overly bright or mismatched colours can feel chaotic, cheap, or unreliable. Neutral palettes with clear accents often perform best.

Primary, secondary, and accent

Effective sites typically use a primary colour for identity, secondary colours for structure, and accent colours for calls to action. Too many colours dilute focus. See Calls to action.

Colour and readability

Text colour must contrast strongly with backgrounds, remain readable across devices, and avoid eye strain. Light grey text on white looks modern but often fails usability.

Accessibility

Accessible colour choices help users with visual impairments and improve clarity for everyone. See Accessibility and design.

For next steps, see Visual hierarchy and Brand consistency.