Color is the fastest signal a visitor picks up on your site — often before they’ve read a single word. Getting it right takes more than picking a favorite hue.
Start with a role, not a color
Instead of asking “what color should this be,” ask “what role does this element play” — primary action, secondary action, background, text, warning, success. Then assign colors to roles.
A minimal palette structure
- One primary brand color for key actions and accents
- One or two neutrals for text and backgrounds
- A small set of semantic colors for success, warning, and error states
Don’t skip contrast
A palette that looks great in a mood board can fail in practice if text doesn’t meet accessible contrast ratios against its background. Check every text/background pairing, not just the obvious ones.
A disciplined, limited palette will almost always look more professional than a wide, undisciplined one.