Response to Color In Graphic Design Color is one of the most powerful elements of graphic design. Why? Because it elicits an emotional response, and the vast majority of people make snap decisions based on emotion. Think about it. How many times have you immediately backed out of an ugly web site? Many, if you’re like me. My usual response is, “oh, puke, I'm outta here!” And it’s a pretty sure bet that it wasn’t because we so quickly discerned bad navigation or worthless content. It was because we reacted emotionally to the graphic designer’s use of color, and the same is true of a site with beautiful graphic design. When color is artistically and skillfully used, it tends to make us hang around longer because of the positive feelings it evokes. Color is that powerful in graphic design. To some degree, personal preference comes into play, but even a disliked color in the hands of a capable graphic designer can be appreciated in the total scheme of the design. As an off topic example, I happily purchased a sofa with loads of my least favorite color, green, because the overall design incorporated luscious shades of red, my favorite color. So even though there was much less red than green, the effect was so beautiful I simply couldn't walk away from it. That's a pretty powerful reaction, and it's what you want to accomplish through the psychology of color in your graphic design. Since it’s the first thing the eye discerns and the first thing we react to emotionally, doesn’t it make sense to use the psychology of color to your own advantage when planning the graphic design of your site? Don’t let, “oh, puke, I’m outta here!” be the reaction to your graphic design!