When using color on your law firm’s site, be sure that whichever colors you choose are cohesive and work together with the design.

According to psychological research, 70% of our perception of the world around us is based on our visual sense. Therefore, color is an important part of communication. “Color builds relationships between customers and brands, attracts ideal customers, and maintains familiarity between customers and brands” (Chang and Lin).

There is a substantial body of research on colors and the messages they send. For a shortcut, you can use color personas as a guide. The colors used in the categories below have been scientifically shown to clearly convey certain messages:

Sincere: white, yellow, pink, blue, green

Honest: green, white

Wholesome, green, orange, blue

Cheerful: yellow, pink, red

Daring: orange, red

Spirited: red, yellow

Imaginative: purple, black

Competent: blue, brown

Reliable: blue, brown, black

Intelligent: blue, black

Successful: blue, brown, red

Sophisticated: black, purple, pink

Charming: purple, pink

Upper-class: black, purple

Also, be careful not to overwhelm the reader with too many colors. Often it is helpful to think in terms of “passive colors” (used in backgrounds, text, etc.) and “action colors” (used for call to action buttons, hyperlinks, etc.). For example, in the above “cheerful” example, white and grey are the passive colors and yellow or pink is the action color used for calls to action and in design elements to set the mood of the website.

Research from Loyola University indicated that using colors to manifest critical messages enhances attention by 82% and brand recognition by 80% (Chang and Lin). You should carefully choose which colors to use based on the traits that are most important for you to convey. Before finalizing your decision, consider if the traits and emotions of the colors selected are consistent with the spirit of your law firm.

Always remember that your website is an extension of you – your firm, your brand, your personality. Keep your design up-to-date and tailored to the image you want to project.

Sources:

The Marketer’s Prismatic Palette by Lauren Isabelle Labrecque, Doctoral Candidate

Impact of Colors on the Psychology of Marketing — A Comprehensive Over View by Nayanika Singh, Research Scholar, and S. K. Srivastava, Professor

The Impact of Color Traits on Corporate Branding by Wei-Lun Chang and Hsieh-Liang Lin

Color Psychology and Color Therapy by Faber Birren