11 Online Resources For Color Selection
Written by Nile | Posted in Web Design | Posted on 
31-03-2010 | 
8 Comments
Tags: graphic design, technology, web design
[This is a guest post by Lawerence Hall. Lawerence Hall is working as community manager at Go-gulf, a Dubai based web design company that
provides affordable web design and development solutions in the Middle East. ]
Choosing the right color scheme is vital in successful web design. Colors express feelings while bringing attention to areas of interest even before imagery or text begins speaking to a user. The goal here will be to understand what to use and when to use it, that’s where color theory comes in.
Color theory is the set of rules that say which colors work well together and why. Following these rules during your color selection can improve the efficiency of color in design. Here I’ve outlined some popular tools for color selection including color schemers, color palette resources and a few general color theory information sites below.
Kuler : Color Scheme Tool from Adobe
Kuler is Adobe’s free online color schemer. Kuler makes color exploration educational and social. Themes can be generated from scratch or from uploaded images. Using the community functions of the site can provide inspiration. Many user-generated themes are posted and rated here, waiting to be downloaded directly into adobe programs.
ColorsOnTheWeb : Color Wizard Color Scheme Generator
The Color Wizard is a great tool with many options. The greatest function it may have over the others is a quick way to check color variations. When you select the main color you want to work with, there are three boxes that provide various color tones by hue, saturation, and tint. This is a great way to experiment with fine toning your color selection quickly.
This easy to use tool has both a color wheel, and will generate color palettes. It allows for selection of many color theory algorithms and is easy for anyone to understand. It will also has settings to display the chosen color palette for various states of color blindness. The exports are plentiful with options for GIMP, text, HTML, Photoshop, and xml.
Color Hunter is a nice tool for designing a scheme around a specific picture. After you upload a url or picture file the tool returns a light and a dark set of colors. If you create a login to the site you can save, tag, and rate schemes that you create for other users. Also schemes can be rated to see which ones are the most popular.
WebsiteTips : Colour Scheme Chooser
The SitePro Color Scheme Chooser users sliders instead of a color wheel to aid in color selection. This may be more familiar to people not accustomed to advanced design programs. It also has a drop down menu with seven values to choose from. This is a nice tool to perform quick color scheming tasks.
ColorSpire : Create Website Color Schemes
ColorSpire is a simple scheming tool. It uses a color wheel for color selection on the palette. Instead of working with known color theories it uses the selected base color and users can adjust for brighter, darker, saturation, or just make a random palette. It won’t help sort out usability issues like other tools I’ve listed but its quick and intuitive.
The Color Blender is another simplified tool. It develops a 6 color pallete based on the main color you select from the slider. Like some of the tools here it includes functions to export pallete files to photoshop or illustrator. They can also be sent by email.
ColorDB is a very robust tool. Upon selecting the base color, variations and harmonies are all shown at the same time. Amongst the harmonies are complimentary, opposite, neutral, shades, split opposite, split complimentary, triadic and tetradic, which you can use to build color schemes from. There is also a color map and memory functions so that you can return to the site later and learn more of its many many functions.
The online ColorSchemer is an extremely simplified version of the popular desktop ColorSchemer. Once you simply pick a color it will show you 16 matching colors on the palette. Great way to get a quick look at some possible color combinations.
If any of the above terminology went over your head. Or you if just couldn’t figure out some of the terms and need a good root understanding of how color theory works check out the following sites.
Color Worqx
The Color Worqx website provides a step-by-step tutorial on color theory. It starts from the very basics and builds to very complex ideologies involving color that transcend the boundaries of just web design.
Color Theory – Wikipedia
This is a basic article on the Wikipedia on color theory. It is not as in-depth as the one by Color Worqx, but that makes it a great resource for picking up a quick overview on color theory.
Do you know any more online resources for color scheme generators? Do you use them?
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I was working with that HTML color code table when there were so many great services available!
I did not know so many. I usually use ColourLoverscom – http://colourlouvers.com because I have been a member of that site for some time and some of the color palettes already put together by others is inspiring.
Hello Nile ,
Thanks for considering my article for guest post. Also can you please correct the link in my author bio
My recent post Web Business without SEO
Your link was corrected. Apparently your code did not translate well. However, I had not realized until you said something. Thank you for pointing it out
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This just became my go to resource for color.
There's a few recall that aren't on this list that are pretty good. When I run across them, I'll shoot an email this way.
My recent post Blogging Alliance – Which way are you reaching: up, down or across?
WOW Thank You so much for sharing all the great resources!!
My recent post Not Sure If You Want To Host Your Own Blog
I should say that most of the terminology went over my head, I’m completely clueless about these terms but of course, I’ll certainly check the sites. All thanks to you! for making me more well informed. I agree that the colors used can attract visitors but the wrong combinations can chase them away as well.