Combining cool and warm colors in web design

Creating a website that stands out and grabs attention is a key aim for the majority of businesses and companies looking for success online. With so many other distractions, both digital and otherwise, it’s important to capture attention immediately, and use design techniques to keep hold of this for longer. Colour is an important consideration for this task, and combining the right colour pairs or 3 colour combinations can be essential for your success online. One way to achieve this is by using both warm and cool colours at the same time. But what do you need to consider before combining cool and warm colors in web design? And what kind of effect can this have on your overall website? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. We work with a variety of companies across Manchester, and the North West, including  those in Blackburn and Chorley, to provide high quality web design solutions. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about designing a website with both cold and warm colours.

What are warm colours?

So first of all, what are warm colours? Well, these are colours that contain a higher amount of reds and yellows, and as such they create colours that invoke a sense of warmth and passion in a design. These can be bold and vibrant, as well as rich and deep.

What are cool or cold colours?

So, what are cool colours? Well, these are colours that contain higher amounts of blue, and can be particularly relaxing or soothing. In web design, these can be soft and light, contrasting perfectly with the bold, vibrant warm colours.

What should you consider when combining cool and warm colors in web design?

To make sure that your web design is successful, you should consider:

  • The compatibility of the two colours- combining some colours together just doesn’t work. Especially not on a small screen, where the effect can be overwhelming for users. You will need to choose two colours, in the perfect tone, to complement each other and blend well together for the best possible results.
  • Using the colour as a design feature- if you apply colour in the correct way, this can become a useful tool for controlling and directing the attention of the user, to all the key interactive elements and important features of your web design. This includes the navigation bar and the call to action button. With warm and cool colours used together, the contrast can be enough to direct attention, when this is applied correctly. You could consider a split screen design, alternating colours as the user scrolls down the page, or even a modular or card design, with the two contrasting background colours.
  • Your company branding- as with any colours used as part of your web design, the company branding is an important consideration to help create a website that looks professional and high quality.

For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.