Colour is such a prevalent part of your brand identity and should be used with care in all mediums. A carefully selected colour palette can really help build a positive brand image for your brokerage.

There are many ways that the right colour scheme can help your brand. Three reasons why you really want to give some thought to your colour scheme are:

• Colours can set you apart from your competition. If your biggest competitor is using neutral colours, something bright and vibrant will differentiate you.
• If you are part of a franchise, using the recommended colour palette can help build trust by associating your company with that franchise.
• Colours can help target a specific demographic, since different colours are already often associated with different feelings and ideas.

Selecting which colours to use on your website

During your branding process, you may have selected a certain colour palette to use in all marketing materials. If you have done this, your website should definitely reflect these colours to help bring consistency to your brand.

If you don't have a specific colour palette that you know you want to use, a good place to start would be by selecting three colours that represent your business. They can be colours from your logo, colours from one of your previous promotional pieces, or colours from a picture that you use frequently in your marketing. The main thing to keep in mind is that one of these three colours will probably be used in about 60% of your website, and the other two will be used as various elements throughout your site (through the use of navigation, icons, buttons, etc).

You also may want to consider what colour schemes are used on websites that you like the look of. If you primarily are attracted to websites that have dark colour schemes, maybe yours should be along those same lines. On the other hand, if you prefer websites that appear more airy and open, whites and light greys may be where you want to start for your colour scheme.

How can you tell if colours work together well?

When selecting different colours to use together, you want to select colours that complement each other – not compete with each other. This is most easily done by selecting colours with contrasting brightness – for example, a really bright and vibrant one with a more muted one. This is especially important when you are considering text or link colour – text that is the same brightness and vibrancy as the background can often be very different to read, even if they are two completely different colours.

One of my favourite ways to test whether two colours compete with each other is to place two squares of colour right beside each other and then turn the colour off on my monitor. If the two squares are easily distinguishable from each other, then there is enough contrast in them so that they won't compete with your attention when viewing them on a website.

How are some colours schemes used on real estate websites?

I mentioned earlier that oftentimes colours are already associated with different feelings and ideas. Knowing what different colours can bring to mind can be a huge help when deciding on your website colours scheme.

• A colour scheme that is mostly black and dark grey brings to mind a feeling of elegance. Real estate websites that use this often focus on more luxury properties.
• Blue colours are often associated with stability, depth and confidence. It's often used in real estate websites that want to really build your trust.
• Grey or neutral hues with one bright accent colour often bring to mind an idea of real contemporariness. Using this colour scheme can give the appearance that the real estate brokerage is really modern.

What if you don't know where to start?

During the web design process, talk to your designer about this! They'll be able to work with you to select colours that will best reflect your brand on your website.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.