** Continued From: Clue in on Color! - Part #1

Here are some color dos and don'ts that are common in our profession:

"Content may be king and clicks might mean cash but color could be the clue that solves your formula for fortune."

• Black backgrounds and red text look like the page your thirteen-year-old brother built to show off his ROM collection.
• White backgrounds are so everywhere.
• Red text is okay in moderation but it better not be blinking.
• For some reason, pink and rose backgrounds sell well for the teen/coed market.
• Patterned backgrounds should be very subtle and are mostly a mistake.

One webmaster I know swears by a color palette that he calls coffee colors. He likes shades from yellow to tan to dark brown. He says pink is overdone and has never had any luck with blue. Then again, he points out his high-selling sponsor uses light blue as a background color for their fabulously successful paysite tour.

You'll notice at Cozy Frog we use varying shades of green. The soothing light green makes our text easy on the eyes. The dark green headers instill certainty. Our frog mascot hops out of the page because of his bright green tone. Our advertisers promote efficiently because our layout/colors do not clash or overwhelm. Our green theme works well for what we wish to accomplish and convey. If we were a paysite trying to appeal to the pocketbook of a porn surfer, our colors would be different.

For the prismatically uninitiated, here are some suggestions as to what mood a particular color will incite:

Red:
Red has always been associated with emotion. Red increases the heartbeat and the blood flow. Red is an alert. Red implies heat and is often used in association with appetite.

Orange:
Orange is another warm color. According to the Color Management Group, orange is very popular because it implies retro, which is currently trendy.

Yellow:
Yellow is associated with happiness and cheer. Yellow is also the color of the sun and can suggest light. Yellow is a hard color for the eye to process so it can overwhelm yet a soft; pale yellow will encourage concentration.

Green:
Green is the color of growth. Green is the color of money. Green makes the viewer feel secure. Green is a more masculine color.

Purple:
Purple is the color of royalty. Lilac is associated with femininity. Purple equates a finer sensibility. Purple brings up feelings of richness and high quality.

Blue:
Blue is trust. The phrase 'true blue' is more than just a saying. Blue is conservative. It indicates reliability and patience. Blue is the most favorite color among humans.

Brown:
Brown is as solid as the earth. Brown insinuates authenticity. A great many men favor brown, which might explain why my friend's tan pages sell porn so well.

White:
White is the ultimate neutral. In lighting, white is the presence of all colors. White is purity and cleanliness. White backgrounds display photographic product images the most efficiently.

Black:
Black in (color/light theory) is the absence of color. Black is contrast. Black relays a darker, more serious message.

Content may be king and clicks might mean cash but color could be the clue that solves your formula for fortune.