Questions to focus on: Use of Color Online

These questions can be used at different levels. You can take 30 seconds to think about one or two. You can discuss them in a team or group of like-minded Christians. Or they can be used in a college class, including assignments and research projects, and answered in writing at any depth. They may be freely reproduced for this purpose. Please email us additional questions that could be added to this page.
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  1. Why do different colors communicate different moods and messages?
  2. Why do different colors clash? What color combinations should be avoided?
  3. Examine the use of color on different classes of site - for instance for children, medical information, cooking, women, technology. Which types of color combination work best in each case?
  4. Why is it hard to read much 'reversed out' pale print on a dark background?
  5. List 10 Best sites which use color appropriately, without clashing, distracting the eye, and which sets the correct mood for the site content.
  6. List 10 Worst sites which use color wrongly, to the detriment of the usability of the page.
  7. Set a Bookmarklet in your favorites which allows you to display any web page in gray-scale. Try viewing different sites in gray-scale to simulate the way they appear to color-blind people. Or use the specialist tools which achieve the same result.
  8. Different cultures use color differently. Look at some South American websites, for instance, and note the bold use of color which would seem garish to those in North America or Europe. Pages designed in Africa, India, and Japan also have their own style, which reflects their culture and magazine graphical style.