Black

Although black often has negative connotations such as death and evil, it can also be a color of power, elegance, and strength, depending on how it’s used. If you’re considering using a particular color and are wondering what the associations are for that color, just ask yourself, “What are the first three things that come to mind when I think about this color?” When I think about black, for instance, I think about Johnny Cash, tuxedos, and Batman. When I think about Johnny Cash, his dark clothing, deep voice, and sorrowful songs give a tangible meaning to the mental associations I perceive between the man and the color. If you analyze your top three color associations this way, you’re bound to hit some common chords that other people share in regards to your color choices.

Figure 2.7: Black, a color that represents power, elegance, and in this case, exorbitance

Even though color psychology does play a role in the way a visitor may see a site that you design, keep in mind that there is no wrong color to use. While psychological reasoning may help get your palette started, the success of a color scheme depends on the harmony that exists between all the colors chosen. To achieve this harmony, we’ll need to keep a few other attributes of color in mind.