How to Create the Perfect Squarespace Colour Palette: My Top Tips
Selecting the right colour palette for your brand new website colors is a crucial part of the website design and build process. It impacts how visitors perceive your brand, with 94% of first impressions based on design. Furthermore, 85% of consumers say colour influences their brand choices, emphasizing colour's importance in user experience and brand identity.
Choosing colours for your Squarespace site can initially seem like a daunting task. The goal is to find a palette that reflects your brand's personality and engages your audience. Although working with a brand designer is one option, taking the DIY route can also be rewarding.
Given the significance of colour in branding for creative businesses, it's understandable to feel the pressure to choose wisely. This article simplifies the process of selecting and applying a Squarespace colour palette to your site. It aims to equip you with the tools and inspiration needed to enhance your site's appeal and align it with your brand identity.
Need help with your colour palette? Let us take care of it for you! Discover more about our colour palette stylesheets and get started today.
The Foundation of Colour Palettes in Web Design
In web design, for example, the strategic integration of colours is just like to painting a canvas, where each hue plays a critical role in the overall aesthetic and user experience. Understanding the foundation of colour palettes through colour theory and their psychological impact is essential for creating engaging and effective websites.
Understanding Colour Theory and Its Physiological Impact
The strategic use of colour can transform a simple layout into a memorable experience. Understanding colour theory is fundamental to this sense of transformation. It's not just about choosing appealing colours; it's about selecting colours that work harmoniously to convey the right message and evoke the desired emotional response.
Primary Colours: Red, blue, and yellow are the building blocks from which all other colours are derived. These colours are pivotal in creating a palette that's visually appealing and harmonious.
Secondary Colours: Formed by mixing primary colours, secondary hues (green, orange, purple) introduce diversity and richness to your design.
Tertiary Colours: These are created by mixing primary and secondary colours, further expanding the palette for nuanced and sophisticated designs.
Colour Harmony: Achieving harmony means selecting colours that complement each other, enhancing the overall coherence and appeal of the website.
The psychological impact of colour on website visitors cannot be overstated. Colours have the power to influence mood, behaviour, and perceptions. For instance, blue is often associated with trust and stability, making it a popular choice for financial institutions.
A study by Colourcom found that colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80%, highlighting the importance of choosing a colour scheme that reflects the brand's personality and resonates with the target audience.
By carefully selecting a colour palette that aligns with the psychological traits of the target audience, one can create an inviting atmosphere that encourages longer site visits and deeper connections with their content.
Wanting to design a brand new chic website with amazing color palette? Get in touch with us now!
Color Palettes for Squarespace 7.1
Here are some common color palettes for Squarespace website
Neutral Boho Palettes
Squarespace 7.1 offers a captivating array of pre-made color palettes, each designed to elevate your website's visual appeal. The "Neutral Boho" palette stands out for its unique blend of earthy tones and subtle pop of custom color themes.
Bold and Vibrant
Infused with bold hues, this new color palette exudes energy and personality, instantly drawing visitors' attention.
Light and Relaxed
Complementing the bold shades are soft, soothing tones that create an atmosphere of tranquillity and ease with custom colors.
Fresh and Floral
Inspired by nature, this color theme with hints of floral colors injects freshness and vitality into your website, making it inviting and refreshing.
Minimalist
Despite its vibrancy, the color palette maintains a minimalist aesthetic, ensuring a clean and modern look for your Squarespace site.
How to Choose Your Squarespace Colour Palette
Choosing the right Squarespace colour palette is pivotal to ensure it reflects the brand's personality and effectively engages the audience. Here are practical steps and tools to guide you through making the perfect choice:
Starting with Your Brand's Personality
When diving into the world of Squarespace colour palette customization, the goal is to reflect the brand's essence through colour. Here's how you can get started:
Use Presets as a Starting Point: Navigate to Design > Site Styles > Colours > Edit Palette on Squarespace to explore preset palettes click colors. Although not perfect, these presets serve as a practical starting point to familiarize yourself with Squarespace's color themes.
Click on the paintbrush icon to open the Site Styles section and then Edit Palette
Understand the Basic Colour Palettes: Squarespace's basic palette includes two light shades (LIGHT, LIGHTEST), two dark shades (DARK, DARKEST), and one BRIGHT colour. Your LIGHT shade should be readable on your DARK background, and similarly, LIGHTEST on DARKEST. The BRIGHT colour is your accent colour, meant to stand out on all backgrounds.
This is where you can find the main colour palette to edit
Initially, stick to the five-colour scheme. This simplicity helps you understand how colours interact on your site. Feel free to experiment with more hues as you become more comfortable.
Finding Inspiration for Your Color Palette
Inspiration is everywhere. Here are a few places to start:
When it comes to searching for inspiration, one of my favourite places will always have to be Pinterest. Whether it's ideas for font combinations, site design or colour palettes, there is always something worth pinning on there.
This open site offers a carefully curated selection of trendy palettes that are ready to be used. All you need to do is search for a specific shade or theme, and you should be all set. It also offers a Google Chrome extension so you can get colour inspiration with every new tab you open.
If you are looking for a new color palette, based on a specific theme, then Design Seeds may be your best bet. The creator, Jessica, curates Instagram photos submitted to her and creates gorgeous colour palettes based on them.
We hope these tools and resources help, creating a colour palette can sometimes be a time-consuming process just because it's so much fun to explore all the different options out there but once you've decided which colours are right for your brand then it makes building the rest of your site so much easier!
Essential Colour Palette Tools for Your Website
Selecting the right colour scheme involves more than just intuition; it requires the right tools. Here are some essential ones:
It is so simple and easy to create colour palettes with this tool. All you need to do is hit the space bar to generate new colours and lock your favourite ones until you get the perfect combination for your brand.
Canva's palette generator gives you quick and gorgeous palettes in a snap, all you need to do is upload a photo, and it creates a colour scheme that matches the image.
If you are ready to take your research up a notch, you can check out Adobe Colour which is a little more advanced but has a great list of features to help you explore including in-depth colour theory plus the submissions of other users.
By utilizing these steps and tools, I'm well on my way to choosing a Squarespace colour palette that not only looks great but also resonates deeply with my brand's personality.
Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Squarespace Colour Palette
Creating a unique Squarespace colour palette was a critical step in any branding and design process that one couldn't afford to overlook. A well-crafted palette not only boosted the visual appeal of my site but also played a key role in brand recognition and enhancing the user experience.
Here's how you can develop a colour scheme that truly represents my brand and makes it stand out in the digital landscape. And now you can do it too:
Starting with a Base Colour
Begin by choosing a base colour that embodies the essence of your brand. This colour will serve as the cornerstone of your palette and should align with your brand's personality, values, and target audience. Consider colour psychology, which is the emotional associations and psychological impact of colours, to ensure your base colour communicates the right message.
Your primary colour will be the one color the most visible across your website and marketing materials. It's crucial for this colour to be consistent everywhere your brand appears to ensure easy recognition and to build trust with your audience.
Building Your Color Palette
Once you've chosen your base colour, select complementary colours to complete your palette. These should harmonize with your primary colour but also offer enough contrast to create visual interest and guide visitors through your site effectively.
Ensure that your colour choices maintain legibility and accessibility. Use contrasting colours for text and backgrounds to improve readability and consider those with visual impairments. Tools and templates like the WebAIM Contrast Checker can help you test your palette for accessibility.
Utilizing Template Style Guides
Squarespace provides you with a template style guide that can be invaluable when designing your site. These guides offer insights into how colours are used within specific templates and can inspire how to apply the same color to your custom palette effectively.
Consistency is key in web design. Use your chosen colour scheme throughout your site to maintain a cohesive look. This includes not just the homepage but also page headers, footers, and call-to-action buttons.
Adding Depth with Shades and Tints
Introducing shades (darker tones) and tints (lighter tones) of your primary and complementary colours can add depth to different themes of your design without complicating the colour scheme. This approach allows for flexibility in design elements like backgrounds, gradients, and overlays.
Use variations in hues changing colors to highlight important content or interactive elements. Subtle changes in colour can direct users' attention where you want it, improving the user journey and increasing engagement.
Creating a unique Squarespace color palette is both an art and a science. It requires a deep understanding of your brand, some color theory, an eye for design, and thoughtful consideration of how colours interact. By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to designing a visually stunning and strategically branded Squarespace site.
Incorporating Colour Palettes into Your Squarespace Website
Once you've crafted your unique colour palette, the next step is seamlessly integrating it into your Squarespace website. This process not only involves technical steps within the Squarespace platform but also requires a keen eye for design consistency and user experience. Here's how to effectively apply your colour scheme across your site.
Editing Page Sections
To begin applying your colours, access the 'Design’ menu and select ‘Site Styles’. Here, you can edit the colours of various elements of your image or website.
Squarespace allows you to apply different colour themes to individual images and sections of a page. Click on a section to edit, and you'll see options to change the background colour, text colour, and button colours to align with your new palette.
For more specific colour applications or to achieve effects not available through the standard editor, consider using Custom CSS. This approach requires some coding knowledge but offers unparalleled customization.
Creating a Consistent Look Across Pages
Define specific roles for each colour in your palette (e.g., background, text, accents) and stick to these roles across all pages. This consistency will reinforce your brand identity and improve the user experience.
If your site uses multiple templates for different pages, review each template to ensure they all support your colour scheme effectively. Make adjustments where necessary to maintain a uniform appearance.
Be mindful of the difference between global styles, which affect your page section entire site, and page-specific styles. Use global styles for elements that will be consistent site-wide and page-specific styles for unique page elements.
Previewing and Adjusting
Squarespace provides a live preview of changes as you make them, allowing you to see how your colour choices look in real time. Use this feature to experiment with different colour applications.
Sometimes, it's beneficial to get a second opinion. Share your site with friends, colleagues, or a designer to get feedback on your colour choices. Fresh eyes might spot issues or opportunities you've overlooked.
Remember, web design is an iterative process. It's okay to make adjustments as you go. If a particular colour choice doesn't work as expected, revisit your palette and make changes. The goal is to find the best fit for your brand and audience.
Incorporating your Squarespace colour palette is a critical step in bringing your brand to life online. By carefully applying your colours to different sections, maintaining consistency across pages, and being open to adjustments, you'll create a visually cohesive and engaging online presence.
How to Change Colors in Squarespace Website
To customize the color palette of your Squarespace website, follow these simple steps:
Open your website’s dashboard in Squarespace.
In the top right corner of the dashboard, click on the paintbrush icon.
Under "Site Styles," locate and click on the "Colors" option.
Click on "Edit Palette" to modify the existing color scheme.
Squarespace offers several preset color palettes. If you find one that suits your brand's personality and target audience, simply select it. Alternatively, if you prefer custom colors, you can enter your own hex codes. Click on each color box to paste your hex code, ensuring consistency across your website.
Before finalizing your selections, preview each color change to ensure it aligns with your website's theme and brand identity.
By following these steps, you can effortlessly update the colors of your Squarespace website to create a visually appealing and cohesive online presence.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored the intricacies of choosing and implementing a unique Squarespace colour palette, emphasizing the importance of aligning colours with your brand's personality, ensuring consistency across pages, and the practical steps for applying colours to various site sections. We encourage you to experiment with your colour scheme, finding the perfect match for your brand. Remember, the evolution of your website and brand may necessitate ongoing adjustments to your colour choices. We invite you to share your experiences and the outcomes of applying these strategies, fostering a community of continuous improvement and creativity in web design.
If you’d like our designer Pia to work your design up for you then just click below to see how our Stylesheets work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to add a colour palettes to Squarespace?
To add a color palette in Squarespace, go to your Dashboard, then Design > Colors, and click 'Edit' on the Color Palette. Choose your color selection method—designer palette, from an image, color, or custom colors. If you have specific brand colors, select 'Custom Colors' to input hex codes or choose from the palette. To customize section themes, select 'Section Themes', adjust colors as needed, and ensure to save your changes once satisfied.
How to reset Squarespace colour palettes?
To reset a custom color palette in Squarespace, open Site Styles while editing a page and navigate to Colors. Click 'Edit Palette' under your current palette, then choose 'Presets'. Select your desired default palette and click 'Save' to apply your changes and continue editing. If you wish to exit, click 'Exit' and then 'Save' to close the editor.
How many colors can I have in my Squarespace color palette?
You can add up to 24 extra colors into your palette. Utilize these additional hues for all your innovative design tweaks made with SquareKicker, seamlessly blending them with your existing Squarespace colors. With an expanded color palette, boost your creativity and explore endless design variations, elevating the visual appeal of your website to new heights.
Can I use pre-made color palettes in Squarespace?
Absolutely! Squarespace offers a variety of pre-designed color palettes you can choose from. These palettes are categorized based on mood and style, making it easy to find one that suits your website's purpose. Additionally, you can find inspiration online for specific color scheme ideas.
How do I choose the right color palette for my Squarespace website?
Consider the overall message and brand identity you want to convey. Think about the emotions you want to evoke in your visitors. Vibrant colors might represent energy and excitement, while natural tones can create a sense of calm and peace. There are also online resources and tools that can help you create color combinations based on color psychology.
How do I edit the color palette in Squarespace 7.1?
Head over to the Design section of your Squarespace dashboard. Look for the "Colors" option and click "Edit" on the color palette. You can then choose your preferred method for selecting colors: pre-designed palettes, uploading an image to extract colors, using a color picker, or entering specific hex codes for your brand colors.
