Color Choices in Website Design: Attracting Audiences Through Effective Color Schemes

Date: 2011-02-16 18:02:59, By: ColorCombos

Color choices count-in everything, it seems, including website designs. A quick survey of popular sites including personal profile designs is divided between executive blue and red, the two most popular advertising color choices in America. Blue has been a traditional business favorite globally because it connotes trustworthiness, loyalty and sincerity-all qualities that are valued in the business world. Blue is always a safe choice, especially when operating internationally where certain colors have very different associations in foreign countries than they do here. IBM's blue home page represents stability and conservatism, values it supports. Facebook's blue home page is purportedly more a reflection of owner Mark Zuckerberg's colorblindness than anything else-a fortuitous coincidence.

Color in advertising becomes the "silent salesperson," communicating subliminal messages that can affect everything from appetite and blood pressure to mood and attitude. As such, when chosen carefully, the right color can attract and hold the viewer's attention, communicate what the business is really about, cement the brand identity and ultimately, make the sale. That's a lot of responsibility, and companies spend considerable time and energy choosing the right color for their website presence.

How Pill Colors Impact Medication Use and Patient Outcomes

Date: 2011-02-13 21:02:29, By: ColorCombos

Until the middle of the 1900s all prescribed medications that were in pill form were uniformly white and round. Over-the-counter drugs were also white or pastel in color. The only exception to the general rule was Pepto-Bismol with its bright pink hue. However, all that began to change in the 1960s when colors were introduced for the first time. By 1975, with the introduction of softgel capsules, bright cherry red, tangy sunny yellow and electric lime green colors were being seen in the medication aisles. Today there are over 80,000 different tint combinations available to the pharmaceutical market. But does it really matter how they color your capsules, tablets or pills? The answer seems to be a resounding yes and for many reasons.

Medical prescription drug errors by doctors, pharmacists and patients account for as many as a million deaths a year with as many as 30% of these unnecessary fatalities attributed to misidentifying proper drugs and dosages. For this reason, healthcare workers appreciate distinctly colored, shaped and labeled medicines. For patients, many of which are elderly, these visual cues are the last defense against swallowing the wrong pills by mistake. The typical Medicare patient may take 18-24 different prescription drugs each year. Familiar colors and shapes can help seniors remember proper dosing.

Exploring the Vibrant World of Car Colors in 2011: A Palette for Every Personality

Date: 2011-02-09 19:02:16, By: ColorCombos

Henry Ford once said that when it came to his Model T, any color was available as long as it was black. He would be amazed and shocked at the color varieties car buyers can enjoy today. With inspiration drawn from the new interior design fashions, haute couture and throwbacks to past classics, there seems to be a color and style for every personality.

Some traditions will remain the same in 2011. Silver, the universally popular color will still hold first place globally. While black and grey are the other top two favorites in Europe, Russia overwhelmingly prefers silver and India loves white, white pearl and silver. Here in the United States, 20% of new car sales were white last year, 17% black and silver, 13% blue and 12% grey. Black is gaining in popularity as are purple and orange, although for different reasons. Emerging markets also have their favorites that will influence American manufacturers. In China, for example, pink or fuschia is the color of choice.

Colorful Credit Cards: How American Express and Chase Capitalize on Status and Luxury

Date: 2011-02-05 07:02:36, By: ColorCombos

Forty years ago, in the early 1970s, less than 16% of the households in America owned a single credit card. By the year 2000, 67% of those families owned at least one if not more, and the competition among credit card companies had become fierce. One way to pull ahead of the pack was to attach status to certain cards through color design and associated privileges. Flashing a card with higher approved spending limits was a way of showing the world one's financial success, and since a card is a small item, noticeability came from the assigned color.

The most popular color in American has been identified as blue, and it is no surprise that Chase has taken the connotation of wealth that comes with owning a sapphire, which happens to be frequently bluish in color, and created a popular, rich sounding, blue-colored credit card. Known as the Chase Sapphire, the very phrasing resounds of wealth and luxury. The card itself has no annual fee and offers a point system for each dollar spent. Points then can be redeemed in travel, gift cards, cash back and merchandise.

The Art and Security of Colorful Currency: A Look into Modern Paper Money Design

Date: 2011-01-30 14:01:44, By: ColorCombos

In the past several decades, the governments of many nations have redesigned their paper currency to incorporate the use of attractive color schemes. This has been done mainly to achieve a greater level of security against counterfeiting, and the brilliant color combinations seen today in paper money is only part of an overall attempt to make paper money difficult to reproduce illegally. Very detailed construction of the printing templates is combined with the insertion of special watermarks and hidden thread weaves to produce a finished product that is unique to each country.

Special oils and ink extenders are used to print paper money. These inks have changed over the years, and in many countries the formulas are closely guarded secrets. Natural inks from the wings of butterflies were once commonly used, but today most of the inks are vegetable based. Usually a specialty ink is applied first, and then after drying, the bill is covered with one or more secondary colors with a more standard variety of printers ink. The incredible color combinations seen on many currencies is the result of modern imaging technology that allows for certain pigment selections to be overlaid while still maintaining the proper color contrast. This is part of the general plan to create a bill that is virtually impossible to forge, especially considering the fact that the color scheme is detailed even upon high magnification. Hidden among all these brilliant colors are the security threads. Watermarks can be added before or after the final ink is applied; the option results in a number of ways in which the mark will appear.