How to Choose The Perfect Color Palette for Your Blog

The world is full of colors. There’s the delightful yellow-brown of the most perfectly-prepared waffle. Then there’s the deep maroon of Ron Weasley’s Christmas sweater (which he hates, but I personally adore). And we can’t forget the crisp and comforting green of the Barnes & Nobles logo. Yes, there are as many shades as there are books in this vast world; I’m infinitely grateful for this because wouldn’t it be a dull and drab existence without either? However, this can also make choosing a color palette for your blog as challenging as retrieving a golden egg from a Hungarian Horntail. 

But never fear, my little blogging Champions, because today I’ll step in for Dumbledore and sagely dole out all the advice you’ll need to choose a color palette that’s perfect for both your blog and your brand.

Choosing A Color Palette For Your Blog

1. Use Your Faves

Using your favorite colors on your website might seem like pretty basic advice, but hear me out. A blog is more than just a lifeless collection of pixels aimlessly floating around in an internet nebula; it’s an electronic extension of your very being. It’s you, captured on screen and in text, and there’s only one you in this entire world, cyber or otherwise. Embrace that fact by embracing what you love! 

If you like clown-nose red, if you adore starfish orange, if you love rainbow stripes and polka-dots, then for waffle’s sake, integrate that into your blog! Remember: you are your brand. If you incorporate what you love, then you’ll love what you create, and if you love what you create, then it’ll be easier for others to love it too.  

RELATED POST: Why is it important to create a blog that you truly, madly, deeply love?

2. Create a Mood

Colors make us feel things; there’s a whole psychology to it. They carry important nonverbal messages to our brains, help to create certain moods, can even shape how visitors feel about your site. Don’t believe me? Then imagine walking into a room. Its walls are painted a simple, clean white. How does that make you feel? Probably a lot different than if that same exact room was painted a bright, obnoxious orange (I’ve got nothing against orange, but if colors had personalities, Orange’s would be the one that never shuts up). It’s the same space, but how you responded to it changed. It’s the same with your blog.

Because colors can speak, it’s important to choose a color palette that says the right thing about your blog. One that sends the right message. If you want your blog to convey a sense of classy minimalism, then splashing your website with bucketfuls of bright colors might not be the way to go. Alternatively, if you want your visitors to feel calm and cozy when they stumble across your homepage, then avoiding aggressive colors, such as red, would be ideal.

Being mindful of the mood you wish to create and the emotions you want to elicit can be one of your biggest guideposts while choosing a color palette for your brand. If you’re still not exactly sure where to start, then follow Hazel from Stay Bookish’s advice: “Start with colors that represent your content.”

RELATED POST:  A Behind-the-Scenes Interview with Hazel from Stay Bookish

3. Avoid Too Many Colors

Pocahontas once said that we should “paint with all the colors of the wind,” and though I’m loath to contradict a Disney princess, I’ll have to disagree with her on this one. When it comes to your blog, you should not use all the colors (of the wind or otherwise). The reason? The more disjointed colors you use, the harder it becomes to create a wholly cohesive and unified design.

So just how many colors is considered “too many?” Although there are no real rules – your blog is yours, afterall – a good guideline can be borrowed from interior decorating. It’s called the 60-30-10 Rule (but I’m going to rename it the “60-30-10 Suggestion,” since I just said there are no rules, and I don’t want to break my own rule right off the bat). This “suggestion” states that in order to create the most visually-appealing color balance in a room (or in this case, your blog), you should use three colors in varying degrees. Here’s a breakdown: 

• 60% – This is your primary color and covers around 60% of your blog’s space. It should be the most dominant color in your design and will be a general unifier for your brand. Novels & Waffles’ primary color is a bright yellow. This is the color I use most frequently across all my social media platforms.

• 30% – This is your secondary color and is used about half as much as your primary one. It should act as both a compliment and a contrast to your primary. Novels & Waffles’ secondary color is a dark orange.

• 10% – This is your accent color and should be used around 10% of the time. It adds splashes of interest around your page and helps to visually tie all your elements together. Novels & Waffles’ accent color is a dark blue.

If you’re having trouble visualizing what this “60-30-10 Suggestion” might look like in action, see the picture of a beautifully designed room below: 

To Sum It Up

Although choosing the perfect color palette for your blog can be as overwhelming as competing in the Triwizard Tournament, it doesn’t have to be! Just remember to use your favorites, to create a mood, and to avoid incorporating too many colors! 

For more color palette tips and tricks, be sure to sign up below to access my exclusive Color Palette Planner! This worksheet offers step-by-step instructions on how to choose your color palette, explains color psychology in more detail, and will help you create the best brand recognition for your book blog.

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