Making a decision on a colour scheme for your website can feel as a daunting task but if you think about what you are going to present on your website and who your audiences are it might be easier to limit the options. Colours represent different meanings and are perceived in different ways in diverse cultures. Depending on the message you want to send to your visitors you can make more balanced and harmonious choices or if the main point is to make something to stand out it might be a good idea to use sharp contrasts. My own starting point is very often based on the idea to find colours that are representative for the branch of business I am designing for unless a client presents an already established logo or set of colours they use. If my client's area of business is in furniture I would probably start looking at wood textures and colours. Sometimes you can use colours based on the geographical location e.g. cities or countries. A client might also have his/her own ideas and preferences that, they feel, better represent their personalities or businesses. Get to know your client.

There are many articles out there about colours so I am just going to present a few of the most common meanings and symbolism of some basic colours and their use. Colours are a non-verbal language so the choice of colours is mostly about perception.

Just double click on any word in the text that you would like explained.

It's a cool colour that has a generally calming effect. Royal blue and azure communicates richness and a touch of superiority. A combination of lighter and darker shadings of blue represent trust and truthfulness (often used by bankers). Considered a corporate colour, especially dark blue is associated with intelligence, stability, conservatism and unity.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: conservatism, corporate, loyalty, bridal tradition, cleanliness, technology, coldness, nobility, winter
Eastern: heaven and spiritualism

In combination with other colours:
Red / Orange - adding blue will have a cooling effect
Light brown / Beige / Tan - adding blue creates harmonious and environmentally friendly aassociations
Silver - adding blue gives a sense of elegance

It's a restful colour that signifies growth, health, renewal and environment. Just as blue, it is also cool colour with a calming effect. It represents balance, stability and harmony. A combination of lighter and darker shadings of green creates a fresh, Springlike feel. Considered also as a symbol of envy and inexperience.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: new birth, go ahead
Eastern: Islam, disgrace (China)

In combination with other colours:
Red - adding green symbolises Christmas
Light brown / Beige / Tan - adding green symbolises organic or recycled products
Blue - adding green gives a sense of nature
Yellow / Black / White - adding green represents outdors and sporty

It's a warm colour that signifies strong emotions. Love and war. It represents power, hence red tie for powerful business people and red carpets for VIPs. It's a colour of danger and happiness and in South Africa a colour of mourning. Use red if you want to grab attention, stick out from the crowd or as an expression of confidence.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: love, passion, excitement, danger, stop, communism, fire
Eastern: good luck, celebration, bridal tradition

In combination with other colours:
Green - adding red symbolises Christmas
Blue - adding red creates a good contrast of hot and cool
Blue / White - adding red represents patriotism for many countries around the world have that colour combination in their flags

It's a vibrant colour that signifies energy, warmth and sun. Less intense and aggresive than red. It represents balance, stability and harmony. A combination of lighter and darker shadings of orange indicates a transition between two contrasting factors like e.g. a bridge between Summer and Autumn. Considered also as a symbol of health (the vitamin C in oranges).

Cultural Symbolism
Western: creativity, Autumn, sometimes religious like in Ireland (protestantism), enthusiasm, desire
Eastern: Hinduism, Buddhism, balance, energy, heat

In combination with other colours:
Black - adding orange symbolises Halloween
Green - adding orange creates a tropical effect

It's a warm colour with conflicting symbolism that signifies joy and happiness as well as cowardice and deceit. Due to it's visibility it's often used in warning and emergency signs. It represents danger although not as strongly as red.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: joy, optimism, happiness, hope, sunlight, wealth, idealism, Summer, liberalism, cowardice, hazards, dishonesty, greed, quarantine
Eastern: royalty, mourning (Egypt), courage (Japan)

In combination with other colours:
Blue - adding yellow creates a good contrasting scheme
Orange - adding yellow gives you a healthy, summery, fruity scheme
Green / Brown - adding yellow gives a sense Autumn
Black / Grey - adding yellow creates a high-tech look

It's a neutral, warm colour that signifies dependability, earthiness, simplicity and friendliness. Just as blue, it has also a calming effect. It represents balance, stability and harmony. Different shades of brown used as a background colour makes other colours stand out and appear brighter and richer.  Considered also as a colour of Autumn and Winter.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: depth, nature, rusticism, tradition, stability, down-to-earth, anachronism, dullness, dirt, poverty, roughness
Eastern: nourishing energy

In combination with other colours:
Green - adding brown symbolises recycling and earth-friendly products
Yellow / Purple / Orange / Red - adding brown creates smart yet conservative look

It's a less violent and softer shade of red that signifies, as the saying goes, " sugar and spice and everything nice". Considered to be romantic and charming it's a feminine and delicate colour.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: gratitude, appreciation, sympathy, feminity, love, Spring, marriage, joy, health, admiration, tenderness, playfulness
Eastern: love

In combination with other colours:
Black / Grey / Blue / Green - adding pink creates sophisticated combinations

It's a mysterious colour that signifies nobility and spirituality. A combination of blue and red, it's both a cool and warm colour that boosts creativity. Traditionally associated with royalty and people of high rank. Deep shades represent richies, lighter shades are considered more romantic and delicate.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: creativity, nobility, royalty, spirituality, wisdom, enlightenment, pride, flamboyance, mystery, mourning, riches
Eastern: mourning (Thailand), favourite colour of Cleopatra (Egypt)

In combination with other colours:
Green / Yellow - adding purple symbolises Easter and Spring
Light brown / Beige / Tan - adding purple creates a conservative combination with a touch of mystery
Pink - adding purple gives a sense of feminity

It's a neutral and balanced colour that signifies formality and mourning. Just as blue, it has become a part of the corporate world. Very useful as a background colour. Lighter shades can be used instead of white and darker shades can be used instead of black.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: respect, elegance, subtlety, humility, dullness, neutrality, formality
Eastern: dullness, sohistication

In combination with other colours:
Green / Pink / Purple / Blue - adding grey creates a feminine feel
Green / Pink / Purple / Blue - adding grey creates a masculine feel
Yellow / Red - adding grey has a cooling effect

It's a neutral colour that signifies purity, innocence and cleanliness. It can be coupled with almost any other colour. Some people can experience a blinding effect and headaches due to the brightness of the colour.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: truth, peace, reverence, innocence, sterility, coldness, Winter, surrender, purity, marriage, life
Eastern: mourning, death

In combination with other colours:
Red / Blue - adding white is in many countries, that use those three colours in their flags, associated with patriotism
Adding white makes other colours appear brighter.

It's the absence of colour. Black signifies conservatism, seriousness, mystery and sophistication. Just as white, it can be coupled with almost any colour. Considered also as a symbol of rebellion among young people.

Cultural Symbolism
Western: power, sophistication, wealth, formality, mystery, style, evil, death, sorrow, professionalism, conventionality
Eastern: re-birth (ancient Egypt), young boys (China)

In combination with other colours:
Orange - adding black symbolises Halloween
Adding black as a background makes other colours appear brighter.