Color Theory for Web Designers
Color theory blends art and science to explore how colors interact. The study is used across creative disciplines to produce intentional, effective visuals. For example, an artist may use color theory to create an appealing aesthetic based on specific color combinations in a painting or portfolio. In branding, marketers use it to evoke specific feelings and reinforce identity.
Color theory in web design is about more than aesthetics. The colors you choose can guide visitor behavior, shape perception, and increase engagement. A thoughtful color palette can also improve readability, direct attention to key areas, and generate conversions. Understanding how to use color with purpose is essential to building websites that look beautiful and encourage visitors to act.
The building blocks of color
Color theory encompasses a wide range of terms and concepts. At its core, it’s about understanding how color is structured and how those structures influence design. As a web designer, breaking color down into its essential components helps you build impactful palettes, balance your designs, and create hierarchy across a layout.
These are the fundamental properties of color:
Hue defines how much a color is similar or different to the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Saturation describes a color’s intensity. High saturation makes colors richer and darker, while low saturation lightens and fades them.
Lightness, also known as value or tone, defines a color’s perceived brightness compared to pure white.
Tints are lighter varieties of a color. Adding white to a color adds a tint to it.
Shades are darker varieties of a color. Adding black to a color makes a new shade of it.
Next, let’s identify the key color categories:
Primary colors form the basis for all other color shades. Humans perceive three base colors: red, yellow, and blue. Every other color consists of a combination of these three colors in varying amounts, brightnesses, tints, and shades.
Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors together. The three secondary colors are green, orange, and purple.
Tertiary colors, also known as intermediate colors, are created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. There are six tertiary colors, which are located between the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel. These include blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, and blue-green.
Accent colors are secondary colors used to create emphasis by either contrasting or complementing your chosen main color.
Neutral colors are secondary colors that lack saturation and pair well with the selected main color.
Colors that work together
When used in tandem, colors help visitors understand and connect with a brand’s message and ethos. The right combinations establish emotion, build trust, and create a sense of cohesion across the site. Colors that work well together can be developed into a color scheme that reinforces your client’s identity, guides visitor behavior, and enhances the overall user experience.
When establishing a client’s color scheme, you can pair colors in a variety of ways:
Complementary color schemes use two colors from opposite sides of the color wheel, emphasizing noticeable and impactful contrasting.
Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, emphasizing balanced color choices.
Triadic color schemes are made by drawing a triangle with three sides of equal length on a color wheel and selecting the colors at the triangle’s points, creating a versatile yet harmonious scheme.
Tetradic color schemes use four colors equally distant from each other on the color wheel.
Pro tip: Once you’ve selected the colors for your client’s color scheme, you can implement them across their Squarespace website by setting them in Site Styles and applying your chosen color styles to all site elements, like backgrounds, headers and footers, and foreground text. To ensure the most cohesive aesthetic possible, consider avoiding styling individual sections with colors outside the main color scheme.
Pictured above: Circle Day 2025 speakers presented in a triadic color scheme.
The psychology of color
Colors influence human perception and emotion, yet their impact is also cultural. If your client’s goal is to reach a global audience, it’s important to research color associations and create sites that evoke the intended response, ensuring your design communicates effectively and avoids unintended messages across audiences.
Below are color associations perceived in Western cultures according to the Interaction Design Foundation:
Blue elicits feelings of trust, making it great for companies like cybersecurity firms looking to engender a sense of connection and ease visitors’ concerns.
Red evokes passion, which can be used to create urgency and inspires visitors to take action, like how red declares “stop” in traffic.
Green evokes nature, creating a sense of calm by reminding visitors of organic matter like verdant forests and fields of grass.
Yellow is reminiscent of the sun and can create feelings of happiness and joy.
Black communicates mystery and power, qualities associated with starkness and authority.
Purple gives off feelings of creativity, royalty, and wealth.
Color and accessibility
Colors are just as important for accessibility as they are for aesthetics. Choosing accessibility-friendly color combinations ensures that more visitors can navigate and interact with a site effectively and intuitively.
One key factor is color contrast ratio, which measures the difference in brightness between two colors, such as text and its background. You can determine and use this ratio throughout site builds to make text, buttons, form fields, and other site elements legible to individuals with low vision or color blindness. According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), body text should meet a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1, while large text (18pt regular or 14pt bold) should meet a ratio of at least 3:1.
Building a color scheme for the web
Once you understand color fundamentals and the underlying psychological principles, you are well-equipped to create thoughtful, effective color palettes for any client.
Start by identifying the brand’s primary color from their style guide. If no guide exists, use a color picker to find the most consistently used color across brand assets such as logos, one-pagers, and existing website pages. You might also consider offering an additional service: interviewing the client to better understand their brand and using those insights to develop a cohesive color scheme for their website, logo, and other materials—all to amplify their brand.
Next, make key design elements stand out by using accent colors that complement the site’s main color, along with neutral colors that pair well with it. A good rule of thumb is to apply the 60-30-10 rule:
Use your main color for 60% of the site, such as for backgrounds
Use a secondary color, such as your neutral color, for 30% of the site build for headers and body text
Use an accent color for the remaining 10% of the site, such as in calls-to-action, donation blocks, form blocks, and checkout pages
Learn more about choosing the right color scheme for a client’s site.
Color combinations in action
The Circle Day 2025 website features contrasting colors from a complementary scheme to embody this year’s bold theme of “Design Differently.”
Common color theory mistakes, and how to avoid them
With a strong understanding of color theory, you’re equipped to make thoughtful, strategic choices for each site you design. As you apply these principles, it’s worth watching for a few common pitfalls that can undermine even the most visually appealing palettes. Keeping the following considerations in mind can help you create color systems that are beautiful, as well as functional, accessible, and consistent across your client’s entire site.
Here’s what to avoid:
Overuse of trendy colors
Creating trend-aligned sites can help captivate audiences in a specific moment. But overreliance on colors associated with these evolving trends may impact accessibility. Consider your client’s target audience and how trendy colors may affect the longevity of the site’s design.
Competing accent colors
Too much visual contrast can create visual noise, which can disorient audiences and impede site navigation.
Insufficient contrast levels
Poor contrast between backgrounds (including background elements like images, panels, and videos) and foreground elements can make it difficult or even impossible for visitors to view and understand the core content on each of your client’s pages.
Inconsistent color usage across pages
It can be tempting to give each page its own look with differing colors, but doing so creates an inconsistent experience for visitors.
Turn color theory tenets into expressive, eye-catching designs
Color theory is a practical framework for designing websites that are visually compelling and functionally effective. By making intentional color choices, you can support your client’s brand expression, guide visitor attention, and more closely meet accessibility standards. A strong grasp of color theory helps you create web experiences that not only look good but also perform well for a wide range of visitors.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers and web design agencies. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
