How do you convince clients and stakeholders of your web color choices?

1 Understand the project goals

Before you start picking colors, you need to understand the project goals and the target audience. What is the purpose of the website? What message do you want to convey? Who are you designing for? How do you want them to feel and act? These questions will help you define the tone, mood, and style of your web design, and guide your color choices accordingly. You can also research the industry, competitors, and best practices to get some inspiration and insights.

2 Use color theory and psychology

Color theory and psychology are useful tools to help you create harmonious, appealing, and meaningful color schemes. Color theory explains how colors interact, contrast, and complement each other, and how they can create different effects depending on their hue, saturation, and value. Color psychology studies how colors influence human perception, emotion, and behavior, and how they can vary depending on the context, culture, and individual preferences. You can use color theory and psychology to support your color choices with logic and evidence, and to explain how they align with the project goals and the target audience.

3 Create a color palette

A color palette is a set of colors that you use consistently throughout your web design. A color palette can help you create a cohesive, balanced, and professional look, and also enhance the branding, identity, and recognition of your website. To create a color palette, you can use online tools, such as Adobe Color or Coolors, that allow you to generate, explore, and customize different color combinations based on color theory principles. You can also use a color wheel, a color picker, or a color scheme generator to find colors that match your main or base color. A good color palette should have a clear hierarchy, contrast, and harmony, and should include a primary, secondary, and accent color, as well as some neutral colors for backgrounds, text, and borders.

4 Test and refine your colors

Once you have a color palette, you need to test and refine it to make sure it works well on different devices, browsers, and screen sizes. You also need to check the accessibility, readability, and usability of your colors, and how they affect the user experience and the conversion rate of your website. You can use online tools, such as WebAIM or Contrast Checker, to test the contrast ratio and the color blindness compatibility of your colors. You can also use analytics, feedback, or A/B testing to measure and improve the performance of your colors. You should be open to making adjustments and modifications to your colors based on the results of your testing and refining process.

5 Present your colors confidently

The final step is to present your colors confidently to your clients and stakeholders. You need to show them how your colors fit the project goals, the target audience, and the brand identity, and how they enhance the web design and the user experience. You can use mockups, prototypes, or live demos to showcase your colors in action, and to illustrate how they work together in different elements, sections, and pages of your website. You can also use storytelling, data, or testimonials to support your color choices with facts, examples, or stories. You should be prepared to answer questions, address concerns, or handle objections, and to explain the rationale and the benefits of your colors clearly and convincingly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?