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Even as technology has allowed designers to use

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and users to see a much more vibrant color palette,

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usability dictates that just because you can use every color in the spectrum doesn't mean that you should.

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In this video, we'll discuss how color palettes and the use of images

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can benefit usability, as well as the overall user experience.

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Making good color choices is important to providing a pleasing and usable design.

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A common practice when adding color to a site

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is to base it off of a logo.

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Using colors from your logo in your design

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can help provide a consistent look, also improving the branding of the site

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and keeping users familiar with the colors they're going to see when viewing your products and other marketing materials.

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It's also important to use a specific color for calls to action.

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When you want users to click on a button, especially important ones

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that will potentially lead to purchases or signups,

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you want to make sure that the button catches their attention.

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The easiest way to do so is to have it stand out visually.

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Therefore, don't color the button with a neutral color

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or a color that's too similar to the background.

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Choose something that's bright and vibrant

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and creates a contrast separating it from the text in that section.

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If you need ideas—again, look at your branding.

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You might have a bright color in your logo that you can use.

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If not, consider brighter tones, like orange or green,

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to help separate your call to action from the background.

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Since designers have been working for years on the best ways to combine various colors

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to provide the most elegant mix, there are a bunch of online tools to check out

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that can also give you ideas.

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Understand that while the most important content on sites can often exist in the form of text,

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sites with images provide a visual element that plain text just cannot equal.

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Using pictures to tell your story, whether that's the tale of your company,

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the projects you've worked on, or how your product looks,

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allow users to become further engaged in what you're trying to communicate, share, or sell.

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Be consistent with the use of images so their meaning and function are understood,

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as certain sites allow the pictures to serve as navigation, as well as the content.

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Provide visual cues on what users can do with images

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or at the least make sure the interaction is a simple one.

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Clicking an image to show a larger version of it, for example, is a common interaction that users are used to.

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Finding great ways to use color and images on your site can add to its visual appeal,

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as well as improve the way you accomplish your own goals.

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Be selective with your color approach and add images that help tell your story,

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and the user will enjoy the experience that you've built for them even more.