I thought I would write about the aspect of web design I already have a lot of experience. I have been working for years in the paint industry and talk to people about color everyday. I have noticed some of the same trends on the web that I see in paint. First, while there is an almost infinite number of colors to choose from most people stick with a pretty safe set of colors. Mostly shades of brown for paint and shades of gray for the web and a touch of another color. Although I have seen a trend in paint as well as the web toward green these days. Another similarity I have found is the extreme emotional reaction to colors people do not like. All you have to do is look at any of Jeffrey Zeldman’s recent posts on his redesign utilizing some intense shades of orange and look at the comments. From my perspective I love to see when color invokes that intense a reaction, that is very powerful.

Inspiration for color either in paint or on the web can come from similar places as well. I like to look around me and see what colors look nice together. You can always look at the color wheel but the color schemes are usually already out there just waiting to be discovered. Some useful resources I have been using while designing sites are the Color Schemer for putting together a color scheme. Build Internet and Color Combos are both great sites for already put together combos. Another invaluable tool is Eric Meyer’s Color Blender for taking your colors and getting many different shades for variation on your site. Lastly, color should be fun so make sure to enjoy the process.