COLOR COLOR COLOR

Another batch of articles discussing the importance of visual design (focusing on color) and common tips that work for general website design purposes. In the article Color Matter by Alberts and Van Der Geest, there are thirteen pages that discuss color and how it affects a users trustworthiness towards a site. A surprising piece of information I found in the article was "trustworthiness is a broader concept than credibility, because it is not restricted to the perceived quality of information..." (p.150) Credibility is something that is often discussed within the STC program, I found it interesting that trustworthiness relates more to the visual concepts and credibility is more closely related to the information provided. However, trust being an important concept in any exchange of goods and services is no different on the web. The article argues that color is an aspect of trustworthiness when a user is experiencing a website. Important tips given in the articles that will be useful when designing include: blue/green are generally safe to use for a wide variety of sites, changing the exact hue or saturation of a color can evoke a completely different feeling, colors are connected to cultures (study your color meanings!), color harmony balances the user experience, don't overuse colors - stick to a clean color scheme, etc.