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If you are considering creating a website for your firm or redesigning your existing site, an important attribute to consider is the color scheme you use. Different colors stir up different emotions in consumers. Understanding how consumers relate to business sites and particular law firms is one of Law Quill’s specialties. We can explain factors to consider regarding different color options and help design a website that fulfills your objectives.
Why Your Website’s Choice of Color Matters
There are several reasons why your website’s choice of color can make a big difference in its success, including:
Colors Affect Mood
Have you ever felt happy in one space but then more subdued in another one? This may be because of the different colors in the room. Color can affect mood and emotions. This attribute can make the color a particularly important consideration when designing your website.
Colors Affect Decisions
Color can also affect decisions. as a lawyer in the community, you may have reached the point in your career where you can pursue your personal passions through your work. You might find another practice area is more interesting and enjoyable. Research published by University Libraries says that most people make decisions within 90 seconds of encountering a person or product. When they must make a choice, 60-90% of the decision-making process is based solely on color. If color can make a such impact on decisions, a careful analysis of your website’s color choice is certainly important for a decision as important as which lawyer to choose.
Colors Can Translate to Conversions
Colors can also sometimes translate to conversions. For example, a green call to action button may be more likely to result in follow through than a red call to action button because people tend to associate green with “go” and red with “stop.”
Understanding color psychology can help you select appropriate colors for call to action buttons, which incentivize action like scheduling a case review, downloading an eBook, or submitting answers to an online quiz. Having a better call to action button can ultimately result in more conversions – and, ultimately, profits.
Colors Are Associated with Brands
If you think about some of your favorite brands or companies, you might associate them with certain color schemes. By having consistent colors on your website, print materials, and other marketing materials, you can help create a consistent color scheme potential customers associate with your firm.
Meaning of Different Colors
When you are deciding which colors to use on your website, it is worth considering the types of symbolism and emotion that popular colors are associated with. According to The Incredible Art Department, the following colors are associated with the following meanings and emotions:
- Red – Excitement, energy, passion, strength, power, aggression,
- Pink – Love, caring, and tenderness
- Blue – Calming, integrity, knowledge, seriousness, tranquility, peace, harmony, trust, confidence, security, and loyalty
- Purple – Royalty, mystery, wisdom, honor, grace, elegance, and transformation
- Green – Earthiness, life, happiness, soothing, relaxation, environmental, healthy, renewal, and generosity
- Yellow – Warmth, knowledge, learning, optimism, idealism, imagination, energy, hope, and friendship
- Orange – Simplicity, energy, balance, vibrance, and enthusiasm
- White – Purity, peace, humility, innocence, youth, clinical, and simplicity
- Ivory – Unification and pleasantness
- Beige – Calm and simplicity
- Brown – Earth, reliability, endurance, simplicity, and stability
- Black – Definite, power, sophistication, elegance, wealth, mystery, depth, style, anonymity, mourning, and detachment
- Gold – Wealth, decoration, and opulence
- Gray – Security, modesty, dignity, maturity, and calm
Ways to Use Color Psychology
Understanding how certain colors affect consumers can help you determine which colors to use on your website. You can potentially motivate the following actions with these colors:
- Create a sense of urgency – Red, orange, or royal blue
- Relax people and make them feel calm – Green
- Create trust or advertise to businesses – Blue
- Push for action – Orange
- Grab attention – Yellow
- Attractive creative people – Yellow
- Exude sophistication and success – Purple
- Attract eco-friendly and tech companies – Green
- Showcase a sense of productivity – Blue
- Exude a sense of power – Black
- Give a friendly tone – White
- Show you are a luxury brand – Dark red or black
- Show aggressiveness – Red
- Make a bold statement – Black, white
Possible Color Combinations
There are several different color combinations that can be used to create an aesthetically pleasing web design. Here are a few of the most common color schemes:
- Monochromatic – One color in several different shades
- Analogous – Colors that are next to each other on a color wheel
- Complementary – Colors that are directly opposite each other on a color wheel
- Split-complementary – Two contrasting colors
- Triadic – Three complementary colors, named for three sides of a triangle on a color wheel
- Tetradic – Four complementary colors
How a Web Designer Can Help
Law Quill can help you devise a color scheme that works for your law firm. Some of the ways an experienced web developer can help include:
Determine a Color Scheme
A web developer can work with you, ask about the type of image you want to convey, and help you apply the best color scheme to fulfill your objectives. An experienced developer will consider your target audience and the actions you want them to take. Developers use this information to devise a color palette that is focused on conveying the right messaging to this audience.
For example, if a firm wants to display a lot of information or has many practice areas, a developer may recommend using a simple color scheme with only two or three prominent colors. Color can help website visitors navigate more easily through the site and locate relevant information on the page. In contrast, poor color choices could lead to consumer confusion and a high bounce rate.
A developer can carefully evaluate the messaging you want to convey along with any existing brand authority based on a particular color scheme and find a way to infuse color appropriately to your site. For example, if you are targeting wealthier clients such as asset protection or corporate clients, a developer may recommend using black as a primary color. Black creates a high level of contrast and can help make a bold statement.
In another example, white tends to provide an inviting and friendly feeling to visitors, so this color may be used when trying to entice clients who would need to feel more trust, such as divorce or estate planning lawyers.
Provide Contrast
Another way that a web developer can make a website more appealing is to add contrast on the website. For example, a web developer may recommend using white and black together because white has a minimalist effect while black makes a statement.
Make Your Website ADA Accessible
All businesses should make their websites accessible to people with disabilities. A web developer has more experience working with different websites and can make recommendations about what type of colors, font size, website SEO, and other elements to use to make the website more ADA accessible.
Draw Attention to Certain Elements
There are many important elements on a website. Web developers may want to use different colors to draw attention to certain elements of the website, such as:
- Title tags
- Subsection titles
- Sidebar
- Button
- Frequently asked questions
- Important text
- Frames for pictures
A developer can discuss which elements you want to emphasize on your site and use color creatively to add emphasis on the right elements.
Test Out Different Options
If you are not sure how potential clients may respond to your website’s color scheme, a web developer can conduct A/B testing and land on the best design based on a limited testing phase.
Add White Space
As a lawyer, you know that words are valuable. However, the absence of words or white space is also important. White space is blank space on the website. It is not wasted space. Instead, it is space that serves a specific purpose.
Some benefits of adding white space to your website include:
- White space can help aid comprehension.
- White space allows you to break up content and make it more readable and organized for your audience.
- White space can help you better explain the services you offer.
- White space allows you to emphasize calls to action with high levels of contrast.
- White space creates balance and avoids confusing your reader.
Make Your Site More Mobile Friendly
Since many people conduct searches on their mobile phones, including searches for legal services, it is also important that your website is mobile friendly. A web developer can simplify the color palette to optimize the mobile friendliness of your site so that there is not too much strain on the eyes of mobile users.
Emphasize Website SEO
In addition to the many recommendations that web developers can make regarding the use of color on your website, a skilled developer can also assess your website SEO. Developers with strong SEO skills know which types of keywords, topics, and pages most appeal to different target audiences.
What Colors Should You Never Use On A Law Firm Website?
While there is no hard and fast rule about which colors to avoid on a law firm website, it is generally a good idea to steer clear of bright, bold, or overly flashy colors that may come across as unprofessional or distracting.
Here are a few colors that you may want to avoid using prominently on a law firm website:
- Bright/neon colors: These colors can be jarring to the eyes and may not convey a professional image.
- Pastels: While pastel colors can be pleasing to the eye, they may be seen as too soft or gentle for a law firm website.
- Black: While black can be a powerful and sophisticated color, overusing it on a website can make the design feel heavy or oppressive. It’s best to use black as an accent color rather than the dominant color.
Ultimately, the color scheme you choose for your law firm website should reflect your brand’s values and message, while also appealing to your target audience. It is always a good idea to work with a professional web designer or branding expert like Law Quill who can help you make informed decisions about color and other design elements.
What Are The Best New Website Design Trends For Law Firms?
Here are some of the best new website design trends for law firms:
- Minimalism: Simple and clean website designs are becoming more popular, as they are easy to navigate and provide a professional look.
- Mobile-first design: With more people using their mobile devices to access the internet, it’s essential for law firms to have websites optimized for mobile use.
- Video content: Including video content on your website can provide a more engaging and informative experience for visitors.
- Bold typography: Using large and bold typography can help to make important information stand out and enhance the overall design.
- Dark mode: A growing number of websites are offering a dark mode option, which can help to reduce eye strain and create a more modern look.
- Interactive features: Interactive features, such as chatbots, contact forms, and appointment scheduling tools, can help to improve the user experience and make it easier for potential clients to get in touch.
- Personalization: Personalized content, such as blog posts and newsletters, can help to establish a connection with potential clients and demonstrate the firm’s expertise.
Overall, the key is to create a website that is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provides value to visitors. By incorporating these design trends, law firms can create a website that stands out from the competition and attracts potential clients.
Law Quill Can Help You LOVE Your Website!
If you would like to create a sophisticated color palette that appeals to new and existing clients, consider scheduling a phone or Zoom call or email us at support@lawquill.com to schedule a free consultation. We would love to review your existing site and make tailored suggestions or to create a new site for you that optimizes certain colors to convey your preferred messaging.
