It’s super important to have a cohesive colour palette if you want a nice looking blog. Often getting your theme and menus and sidebar the way you want is such an epic task, colour may be the last thing on your list of blog to-dos. (Sometimes getting your blog to look the way you want is a bit of a battle, right?!)
Colour is super important because not only will it reflect you and your visual style, it will also pull your blog together making it much more engaging and pleasing to the eye. Win!
Colour choices often reflect fashion, as much as the chooser. My advice is to go with a palette that YOU love, something you can stand by and admire for a year or two (at least!) It’s all good and well to be on-trend, but keep in mind that fashion moves quickly and what works today may not work tomorrow. Keep it true to you instead.
It’s really advisable to think about your blog’s purpose and mission when you are choosing colours. If you have a business blog, chances are you don’t want to be working with pale pink and lavender, for instance. Crazy bold brights might not work on a serious, personal blog. A gloomy, black background might not be appropriate for a friendly, chatty blog. You don’t have to be too literal (gardening blogs don’t have to be green!) but just ponder the relationship your colours have to what you do. Just consider this stuff and make sure that your palette makes sense to you and reflects what you do.
It’s a good idea to look to your mood board to see which colours popped up most frequently. Perhaps they can tell you where to start, colour wise? Take a leaf out of that book and start committing to colour!
If your mood board is not giving you any bright ideas, turn to everyday objects or nature. Do you love that patterned jumper you bought at the Camberwell Market? Maybe take your colour cues from that? Adore that vintage book cover? Is there a palette in it?! Enamoured with that patchwork blanket? Is it a palette, do you think?
How to choose a colour palette
Choose a main colour which will be the dominant colour on your blog.
Next, choose a secondary colour, to create other notable elements on your blog.
Finally, choose an accent colour that you can splash about to add interest in a cohesive way.
Extra finally, choose a couple of emergency extra colours that fit with your scheme. This is good to have if you need to create extra elements that might need varied (but coordinated) hues. (Social media buttons, for instance!)
If you are not sure how to source these colours (or how to mix and match) go and have a play on these colour-ific sites:
Kuler
Design Seeds
Colour Lovers
Paletton
DeGraeve
Once you’ve decided on your palette – make a note of the RGB and/or HEX codes so that you can stay on track with your new scheme and make it your default.
Now, think about WHERE you need to use colour, too…
Do you want a coloured background?
Does your header need a colourful backdrop?
Perhaps it’s for boxes in your sidebar?
Do you want to design (or hire someone to design) a pattern using your colours? To use as a background? Or elsewhere?
Maybe it’s your links that need to be colourful and cute?
Or your social media buttons?
Do you want to design a co-ordinated email signup box?
Pop around to your favourite blogs and see where they are using colour (and which colours they use!) Take some notes on adjustments you might want to make and start working towards tweaking your palette to make it truly reflect you!