The interpretation of a color online depends on the physiology of the eye, readability, the individual viewer's culture, and the associated profession or industry. When color is used strategically, it adds impact and clarity to your banner message. Color can trigger emotions and can lead your viewers to a click on your banner. But if used incorrectly, color can compromise your message and confuse your target audience.

How the human eye processes color is a primary consideration for choosing banner colors. Purple is one of the hardest colors for the eye to discern, so it is not a good overall color choice. On the other hand, yellow is the first color the eye sees. So if you were trying to call attention to text on a dark-colored banner, yellow would be an excellent color choice. But for a background color, you might want to choose a different color — one that is less stressful on the eye.

In order to make the banner text legible, use colors that provide a high contrast. The colors black and white provide the highest color contrasts, but be aware that white banners tend to have the lowest click-through ratios (CTRs).

Know Your Target Audience and Culture

The industry targeted by your site should influence the colors you choose for your banner ad. In finance, for example, red is associated with financial loss, and in the health care industry, red signifies danger or emergency. Therefore, using red in banner designs targeting those industries would not be wise.

Color consideration is equally crucial when targeting a specific country or a global audience. For example, while purple signifies royalty in many European countries, in the Netherlands the royal color is orange. Similarly, although white connotes purity in many Western cultures, in China it is linked with death.

Blues, teals, and greens tend to be safe color selections because their psychological nuances include security, professionalism, reliability, conservatism, and technology. Further, most Web-savvy people know to click on the blue, underlined text link. Therefore, using blue in a banner design can boost CTRs.

Finally, when choosing colors for banner designs, it is important to consider the design scheme of the site where your banner ad will be placed. You want your banners to stand out from the sites where they are displayed, but you don't want your banners to scream, "Click Me, Click Me, Click Me." Your banner ads should blend well with their host Web pages, and talented banner designers will always take this into consideration.

About the Author:
Shari Thurow is Webmaster and marketing executive for GrantasticDesigns.com.

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