Part 3: Designing with Color
(This is the third in a series on email newsletter best practices. Also check out Part 1 and Part 2.)
Why does color matter?
Color matters for every visual message we receive. We make subconscious judgments about things within 90 seconds of first seeing them. Up to 90 percent of our judgments are based on color alone. Color can trigger certain emotions, which affect the actions we take – or don’t take.
Color also matters for every visual message we send. As much as IMN believes great content matters, we also believe great presentation of that content entices people to read and engage.
Those 90 seconds in which readers judge and assess your email newsletter can directly affect their willingness to click through that email and open subsequent emails. Yet, choosing colors for your newsletter can be downright daunting. Never fear. We’re here to shed light on simple, effective techniques for using color to help put your best (digital) foot forward.
How does color work?
Who remembers the color wheel? Many people haven’t used the color wheel since art class in middle school, but thankfully, it’s virtually unchanged. The color wheel is a simple tool to find colors that work well with one another.
Color schemes are infinite and varied, but there are a few basic types. The three most common types of color schemes are monochromatic, complementary, and analogous.
- A monochromatic color scheme uses different shades of a single color by going into the center and out to the edge of the color wheel (or put another way, variations of a single color in dark, medium, and light shades).
- A complementary color scheme uses two colors found on opposite sides of the color wheel.
- An analogous color scheme uses several colors found side-by-side on the color wheel.
Monochromatic colors are soothing, balanced, and create a sense of unity. Complementary colors are very striking and eye-catching, but can overwhelm people if overused. Analogous colors create a sense of harmony and richness, but they lack the bite of contrast found in complementary schemes.
Marketers have used colors for decades to inform their logo and advertisement choices. Conventional wisdom (and sources such as The Logo Company) defines the rainbow as a series of adjectives, where red equals bold and blue equals trustworthy.
However, there’s no hard and fast rule for marketing with color. Color, much like the content we write, depends upon its context to invoke a certain mood or reaction.
How does color work in my email newsletter?
Now that you understand how colors can relate to one another, take a look at your current newsletter and compare all of the colors you see:
- The background color of your newsletter against the background color of the email
- The text color against the newsletter background
- The text link color against the newsletter background
- The text color vs. the text link color
- The color in the images displayed in the newsletter
Ideally, your readers can distinguish plain text from text links and easily read both against the background color of your newsletter. The background color of the email message isn’t competing with the newsletter color. Any additional colors, whether from tables or images within the newsletter, aren’t contradicting the overall color scheme.
In general, there are some big color no-nos.
First, your newsletter shouldn’t have a dark-colored background with light-colored text for the main content. It’s OK to have this scheme for logos and headers (for example, the IMN Post), but it strains the eyes for main text.
Second, while contrasting colors can make a big impact, avoid using opposite colors as background color and text color for main text. The text can appear as flashing words on the screen, which may induce seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy or other light sensitivities.
What color scheme should I choose for my email newsletter?
As we said, no color scheme is guaranteed to work for an audience. Choosing the right color is much like choosing the right content. You want to understand your audience, their needs, their preferences, and their personalities before deciding on a color scheme.
However, we’ve found that some color schemes invoke a common theme or idea. The following are a few of our favorites:
- Pastel: For a soft, romantic, wistful, dreamy, or sweet audience
- Neon: For a bright, youthful, energetic, bold, loud, or fun audience
- Earthy: For a wise, balanced, healthy, peaceful, or thoughtful audience
- Cool: For a logical, fresh, intelligent, serious, or calm audience
- Warm: For a passionate, emotional, cheerful, or confident audience
- Black and white: For an exclusive, luxury, refined, or sophisticated audience
Conclusion
So you’re no longer scared of using color because you have the tools at your disposal to find and correct color scheme flaws. However, how do you feel about choosing images? Don’t worry – we have your back in the next post of this series.
How do you create email newsletter success? Share your newsletter secrets with us on Facebook or Twitter, hashtag #BetterEmail.
