Global net is overfilled with a sterile design. Sites of the Hewlett-Packard companies, IBM, Dell, Microsoft, and many others actually hardly distinguished from each other (they have similar color charts and location of elements). It is possible to say that such monotonousness of interface makes Network of more comfortable for work, but in fact such sites do not leave anything in the memory of the users not able to create the positive contact with the audience.
The simplest way to avoid such a monotonousness is to use colors. Probably non other element of the design does not have such an influence at our perception of the space (website, house) as Color. Colors cam momentary change your mood and opinion. They are able to create a coziness, to load us in the ocean depth of fear or excite us. For the design of interfaces natural colors are especially useful.
In a wide range from the difficult web-applications to the presentation sites colors combinations existing in nature possess greatest ability to be selected (helping to create more memorized website), to direct (allowing to the users to concentrate on co-operation with the elements of site), to captivate(doing the common location of the elements of page more comfortable and attractive), and to inspire (offering new ideas in choosing the colors)
In our life we quickly forget about conservative, ordinary events. We can keep in memory the unusual impressions and events having some emotional meaning. It is just for the trips in Network. When all sites look identically, they easily get in the category of feelings "I have been here and have seen this". And if take into consideration, how quickly we move from one site to the other, this feeling is universal.
Therefore, a site can not ignore any possibilities to be selected from general mass. If your site differs, there is a chance, that users will give it more time or attention during the visit. They can even keep it in mind and visit again. Possibly, there is no better way to leave the favorable impression, than Color. The immediate reaction on a color is incident to people: they become excited, they become happy or bored.
The unique palette based on the colors found in Nature can liberate you from the color despondency World Wide Web (pict.1), helping to create more memorized web site. For example, natural combination of colors (pict. 2), used for creation of model of this site (pict. 3), fully contrasts with more "standard" version of the design of the same site (pict. 4). Soft colors are tender enough, to be a background, but at the same time they allow to select four basic informative regions of site clear enough.
But before applying "tones of the Texas prairies" to your site, remember that your color set must correspond to the audience of your site. Because color associations are very durable in mind of people, important to choose the one, which best of all suits your case.
Natural colors often less saturated and more pleasant for eyes, than their artificial analogues. As a result gives the user an opportunity to concentrate on co-operation with a site, not distracting him by too bright tints. When you try to concentrate on the information placed in a layer with a very bright color gamut (pic. 4), your eyes constantly go back to those rich colors (in this case to the dark blue bar above). From the other side the tints of yellow and blue on the alternative variant of the design (picture3) create a harmonic balance between the images, panels of navigation and content.
(It is especially useful for the web sites having the considerable volume of materials). The most useful elements are menus and blocks with content are done the most noticeable, but not background colors, which natural colors were chosen for. Our eyes got used to blue, yellow and grey tones, because we see them every day round ourselves.
This phenomenon becomes especially important in the web-application, with which users work sometimes during hours and whole days. The presence of palette not distracting user allows him concentrate on his work and important information. Certainly, Color is not the unique necessary element of design- structure of site, co-operation and location of its elements and many other, all must work together, creating useful and comfortable for work web site or appendix. But Color is an important part of the system, which it is impossible to ignore.
Natural colors are especially useful to another aspect of design – back emotional reaction of user. In order that an user easily got from Point A to point ?????, call usability for help, but for creation pleasant feelings from happening things and desire to test them again and share them with other some individuality is needed.
We will consider two variants of transaction forms. One uses cold, frightening palette. Other is more comfortable in use due to application of warm and friendly color palette on the basis of natural tints. To the bank office workers constantly working with this network appendix, the most friendly interface will be the most comfortable for work.
Ability to inspire.
Natural colors, besides all the other, inspire. Variety of Nature continuously offers new ideas and approaches in choosing colors. For example, the colors used in a company of attracting tourists to Dublin appeared not orange, green and white colors of Irish flag, as you could think. Instead of them were colors typical for the seashore of Ireland used. Such combination of colors is more alive and attractive, makes Dublin amusing and emotionally opened city. Unfortunately, this scheme was not used all over the site of Dublin of http://www.visitdublin.com/, that is why is less bright and less attractive. All, that was said about natural colors is not absolute panacea. At times you may need to set the good emotional shaking to your audience. For this purpose combinations of colors, not meeting in nature, (and that is why seeming uncomfortable) will be the best choice. From other side, your favorite blue tints so often meeting on corporate sites can seem to audience exactly that, what they search. Yet, when the thing is in the difficult applications and unique decisions, the natural color decisions can be invaluable.