Through my eyes, web design has gone through many color trends, from the traditional black text on white backgrounds of the early 90's, to the overuse of vivid color in the late 90's, to the high-impact greens and oranges of the early 00's, to the subdued blues and grays commonly seen today. The overuse of a particular color scheme can cause otherwise great sites to become boring. The absence or misuse of color can drive away viewers. Consistent, quality color choices are integral to quality web design.

It's no secret that colors invoke feelings and can change a viewer's mood. The ugly truth is that color is often misused; a red background on a dating site might invoke anger instead of passion, causing more harm than good. The good news is that color theory is centuries old and information not hard to come by (take a look at the Links and Resources page). With a bit of foresight and planning, color can cause your website invoke the proper feelings, set it apart from the pack, and give it the timeless, elegant quality we cherish.



See the rest of my palettes, and all my designs, in my portfolio.

One very common mistake I see in many websites is information overload. Trying to jam too much information onto the screen can confuse your audience and cause a steep learning curve for your website. If someone can't find the information they're looking for in three seconds, you've lost them. Take Google as an example - to date, they have one of the simplest interfaces on the web, and no one can doubt Google's success.

In the rush to cram information on a site, many designers have lost touch with practical amounts of whitespace. Whitespace is the space on the page where there isn't anything, and it's important - it allows the eye to rest, and facilitates a logical flow of information. A List Apart has a great article on Whitespace, and more information can be found on the Links and Resources page.

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