Last modified February 19, 2009

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Internet Color and Design
Keeping Your Customer and
Your Brand in Mind
In the ever-evolving online market, your Web site is one of the most important factors to help grow your business. Every company is unique and each Web site design must reflect the ideas and needs of each organization.

Content can be completely ignored when a Web site is unattractive, has poor navigation, or contains colors that are unappealing. Web page design requires conceptualizing, planning, color and identity development, and optimizing content for the Internet using technologies appropriate for presentation by Web browsers.

With growing specialization within marketing communication design, there are few things more important to a successful Web site than its design and color. As in a video, an “establishing shot” must be created to introduce your organization to the world. The who, what, when, where, why and how of mass communications is started with a dynamic visual. In many respects, it’s the window to the soul of your business.

Home pages busy with too many elements fail because they attempt to show too much, confuse visitors and make interaction stressful. But those that are too sparse fail to build trust with users.

The goal should be to provide a balance between properly satisfying the needs of the brand and creating an appealing Web site that provides a call-to-action for the visitor.

Color choice is a crucial decision in every Web site design and should be an extension of your brand. When an established color scheme already exists, Web developers must work within those guidelines to extend the brand in a clear, effective way to maintain consistency.

Brands play a major role in the success of all organizations, both online and off. Just make sure the branding of your business Web site doesn’t fall short. Successful design and branding companies understand that logos and identity systems communicate the essence of an organization and invest heavily in their development.

A Web design is not a one-time project, but rather a work-in-progress. On the Internet we don't deal with face-to-face selling. The Internet is a visual medium. The words and design become your most important communication and sales tools.

Just as you use words to express yourself, colors can be used as an expression. The background color of your Web site, the color of your header, the color of your headlines and text can all have an impact. Each monitor displays color differently than the next monitor, however, it is important to make sure you are starting with the right message.

Associations people make with colors:

White – purity, cleanliness, silent
Black - serious, elegant, classic
Brown – earthy, rustic, wholesome
Red - love, warning, exciting, powerful
Blue - trustworthy, healthy, professional, calm
Green - money, nature, health, healing, neutral
Orange – creativity, fun, whimsy, loud
Yellow – cheerful, amusing, hot
Pink – innocence, tenderness, romantic, soft

It is important to note that a message communicated through the use of color can change or be influenced through its juxtaposition with other colors or even tints of itself. For example, the name blue can reference light blue, sky blue, dark blue, bright blue, teal, navy, turquoise and so on. Each variation of a hue brings with it a new set of feelings and impressions.

When using colored text, dark type on light colored backgrounds may be dull, but this format is the most readable and pleasing to the eye.

White space is the portion of a page left empty or unmarked. There is a purpose for white space and many consider it a vital graphic element in Web page design. Expert use of white space focuses the reader’s eye on a certain area of the page.

The best Web designers can face those creative challenges and be successful. With dedication, vision, common sense and courage, designers can achieve a visually appealing site that sells for an organization.

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On the economy…
… with Nancy Garberson, CEO

“Nancy, you’ve been through other economically challenging times. What were some of the ‘right’ things and some of the mistakes companies made with their marketing work during these times?”

Having been in business for 20 years, we have seen the highs and lows of the economy. After 9-11 we were reluctant to call anyone because they were in such shock over what was happening around the world that they could not look ahead or even talk about the future.

“Why wouldn’t it make sense to slash marketing budgets in a business climate of layoffs and plummeting sales incomes?"

The one thing I can assure you is that there will be a recovery, and when the world decides it’s time to move ahead and leave gloom behind, your business needs to have kept its visibility alive through the best and the worst of times. I am not saying spend, spend, spend when the sales are not coming in, but making sure you are still maintaining company visibility is essential!

“What would be the top tips you would advise that companies must do to keep afloat in this recession?”

After the world went through the last crisis, there were some marketing activities that smart companies used to not only stay top-of-mind with their customers but make progress toward reaching new customers in the process.

• Keep talking to your customers by staying in touch with those who have been steady customers of the past, even if they are not spending money, you are developing deeper ties with them. This is something they won’t forget. Get personal, become their lifesaver by helping them reach their goals! They won’t forget. If there is any way you can help them reach their goals more efficiently, more effectively or by helping them save money, you are a hero.
• Research your customers. Instead of cutting the market research budget totally, think about what you really need to know. During a downturn consumers redefine value. People are more willing to postpone purchases, trade down and buy less. If they can live without it – they will.
• Trusted brands are valued even more, in fact many larger companies are not afraid to launch new products during a downturn if it complies with the values of their consumers’ mindsets. Conspicuous consumption is out, but a brand positioning of a product as an inexpensive alternative can be very successful!
• Focus on values like family, children and relationships. When things are tough, we tend to find happiness in our close relationships. Friends and family assume a larger role in our life, and products and services that relate to those values can make an instant connection in the marketplace.
• Eliminating or drastically cutting back on your advertising and public relations efforts can cause your brand to loose the momentum and strides you’ve made in previous years. Uncertain customers need the reassurance of known brands. If you have to cut market spending, try to maintain the frequency of advertisements by shifting from 30-to 15- second advertisements. There are many innovative ways to keep your brand in the forefront—place a smaller print ad, use the Internet, write more emails and beef up your media attention with more public relations.
• Public relations includes many activities besides media releases, press conferences and public appearances of expensive Hollywood spokespersons. Good public relations can mean you change the way you answer the phone, the way you visit with customers when they enter your store, and new employee policies. Maybe it’s time to have a real person answer your phone rather than an electronic voice offering 32 options… which is frustrating, at best! Hold inexpensive events, invite important customers out for coffee instead of lunch, and make it clear you appreciate their business. Stress the good value of your products and services, reliability, durability, safety and performance are even more important. Is it time to develop a warmer corporate image? How can you make your business look friendlier?
• Help your customers stay customers by offering alternative funding methods. Cash allowances, extended financing, quantity discounts, and generous return policies motivate sales and show you care. You could also offer smaller pack sizes of certain items so they can still afford to purchase their most-loved products and services from you.

Successful companies do not abandon their marketing strategies in a recession; they adapt, target their message more effectively, aggressively provide value, reach out to new horizons and become a valued part of their customer’s lives. Hang in there, it’ll take grit but we’ll come out fine!