Your Background Isn’t Quite In The Background…

We’ve all heard it said that a picture speaks a thousand words, and it’s true. But have you ever thought about how the background colour of your website speaks into the overall image of your site and the message you’re trying to convey? 

Knowing who your target audience are is important, and by using the power of ‘colour psychology’ you can tap into user emotions with specific hues impacting mood, and set the tone for the rest of the design.

Factors to consider when choosing your background colour are the rest of your brands colour palette, the tone you want to set and how the elements all work together to create a cohesive look. Let’s take a look at some examples of colours below.

White

White is best for a clean and uncluttered look. There’s a reason it’s the most common background colour on websites... It’s neutral so you can use it with anything, and a white background really sets off interesting images and pops of colour.

To Consider…

Don’t use colours like soft yellows, for example, as a font colour as this will get lost on a white background. Darker or bolder colours are the way to go. A true white creates a bright look, but you can also choose an off-white or an ivory background to soften the harshness a little.

Red

Red best represents power. It conveys boldness and excitement. It’s a colour popular with restaurants as it grabs attention, and also fashion brands, people of the arts and sports figures because it elicits excitement and energy.

To Consider...

Choose colours that complement and don’t detract from the excitement of the red, such as white, grey or black. 

Blue

Blue is one of the most popular colours used in design and is liked by both men and women as it speaks of trust and calm. Which is why many banks use a shade of blue on their websites and in their branding.

To Consider…

There are many shades of blue, and as such, you can even contrast blue with blue! It really is a universal colour and goes with most others, so find the best one to suit your brands colour palette.

Green

Green is a colour common amongst companies who are eco-friendly and outdoorsy. However, green is also a colour associated with intelligence. Like blue, there are many different shades fit for purpose; from a deep forest-green for an element of sophistication, to a bold lime green!

To Consider…

Greens tend to contrast nicely with white elements. 

Black

With the popularity of ‘dark mode’ which is said to be easier on the eyes, black is increasingly becoming a popular choice for backgrounds as it complements dark mode nicely. However, it also works well in ‘light mode’ and is versatile whether wanting to set a somber tone, or emphasising other content, bringing it to the spotlight, making it a powerful choice. 

To Consider…

You will have to use white or another very light colour for your text to be readable, so bear this in mind for your overall colour palette. Utilising the opacity feature on a text box may be something that can also help with this if you’d like to use a darker text. 

Of course, there are far more colours to choose from than this! An energetic orange or a happy yellow, for example, so hopefully this gets you thinking about how you can also be sending a message via your background, and to consider what that looks like.

Background Images/Videos

With Church Edit you can even set your background as an image or video. We would only recommend this as part of a design on a homepage as a feature for maximum effect, and for a colour as spoken about above to be the consistent background of your overall theme. You can overdo things!

Lots to think about and we look forward to seeing what you settle on!