When equipment is painted green in an industrial environment, illusion of safety and normalcy is fostered. People in this unnatural environment tend to have sense that things around them are clean and that their personal health is not at risk.

The psychological impact of color green can be applied to advertising, corporate identity, and electronic media.

At time of this writing, vast majority of industrial Web sites are designed in shades of gray, blue, and brown. This is partly due to fact that featured products are also those colors. Industrial manufacturers trying to boost their revenue through Internet sales and marketing may find that implementing green in their Web sites could be helpful.

If your potential e-business customer is sitting in an an unnatural environment, whether an office cubicle or on an assembly line, give them something soothing to look at. Why not use some green in your design?

Other "warm" colors are red and orange. These lively colors excite emotions. People who like red tend to be impulsive, energetic, and crave action and success. However, overuse of these colors can produce tension.

"Cool" colors include violets, blues and greens. These colors are tranquil and have a calming effect in people. Blue and light green are soothing, suggesting outdoors.

Gender

Studies performed over past few decades seem to indicate that men tolerate less saturated colors, however they gravitate toward more highly saturated color. Therefore, advertising that contains reds, bright blues and grays may appeal more to a man than a woman.

Women tend to gravitate to cool, relaxed colors and seem to be more color conscious than men.

In both genders, it has been found that achromatic, sterile colors may produce increased heart rates and contribute to higher levels of stress.

Technology

Light produced by a computer monitor is not constant. As you read this article, you are viewing approximately 30 separate images a second. Your brain rejects information it doesn't want to see, and blocks out frequent moments that your screen is blank. With this in mind, it is important not to make colors on your web site too busy. This produces unnecessary strain on your eyes. Harsh, contrasting colors should be avoided. Giving people headaches does not aid in selling products!

It should also be noted that there are four factors that determine how color is rendered on your computer monitor: CPU (the computer's brain), computer platform (Windows, Mac OS, etc.), video card, and monitor itself. What you see may not be what others see. In some cases, royal red may appear as hot pink. Navy blue may look black. During development process, try to view your site on different computers.

So what do you do?

You may find, in many cases, trial and error is only way to determine what works. Be patient, and don't hesitate to make changes. The factors in determining color schemes of a web site, or any advertising for that matter, require careful consideration. Remember... Symbolism, Psychology, Gender, and Technology... Color does matter.