How to Use Monochromatic Color Scheme in Website Design
Colors are important. So important in fact, that 90% of all quick purchase decisions are influenced by color perception. Therefore, consider carefully which colors you use in your web design. A monochromatic color scheme or a monochromatic color palette consists of a single color that then appears in different shades or nuances in terms of saturation and brightness. The color is made lighter or darker with white or black. The nuances can thus be a light shade or a dark shade, but can also go from clear to cloudy or from pastel to strong. Monochrome color schemes have a calming effect, give a clean, clean, and timeless appearance, but also exude elegance.
- Part 1: Monochromatic color scheme
- Part 2: Why Web Designers Use Monochromatic Color Scheme?
- Part 3: Useful prototyping tools for your design
Monochromatic color scheme
The monochromatic color combination includes different shades from the same color family. "Mono" means single or alone, "Chromatic" means color - a monochromatic picture consists of only one color in different tonal gradations or tones or of colors of a single color group (blue, red, yellow, green, violet, orange, brown, gray/black/white).
In principle, a monochromatic image is always harmonious (in terms of color), because only a single color is used and contrasts are only created through tonal values. Monochromatic colors are all the colors from a single Hue using TINTS, SHADES, and tones to lighten or darken the original Hue.
In a monochromatic color scheme, the colors you use are all gradations of one and the same hue. If all the colors in a picture come from a single color family, the motif appears coherent. The effect on the viewer is basically calming, as the colors in the work do not play against each other.
Website examples that use a monochromatic color scheme
These websites are the best monochromatic color scheme examples:
Facebook Messanger
Facebook's Messenger is one of the best examples of a monochromatic color scheme. The design of Messenger's landing page and its various UI elements are using monochromatic colors. Even if a website only uses an orange color and its variations, it will also include shades of grey as well. And, that is already including white and black which most people see as separate colors. Although, grey is usually used for text color, and that's okay. The buttons and links are blue, while the inputs use a lighter grey for text and border color. That's completely acceptable as well.
DigitalOcean
The landing page of DigitalOcean is another great example of a monochromatic design. They use a bright blue as the main color in their homepage layout, with a few different variations in the graphics throughout the home page. Inputs, buttons, and even links are all colored blue. Some text strings in the graphics are blue, too. If I could show only one monochromatic website example it would be this one.
Lookback
Lookback is another example of a subtle but much more monochromatic color scheme. Although not all of the lookback's website is true monochrome, we can still examine the homepage's header. The background here is light blue. The input has a blue border that's also the color of the CTA button. Both the email signup button and the iPhone image have a slight blue shadow, too. Even the text is a darker shade of blue, actually. The icons below the email capture use a blue shade as well. Lookback website is one of the best monochromatic color scheme examples, although some pages of the Lookback website having other colors.
Why Web Designers Use Monochromatic Color Scheme?
Some web designers prefer a monochromatic color scheme in web design. When we use the term monochromatic, it means that the design uses one color. In the monochromatic color scheme design, we choose a base color and then add white or black to change the shade of the color. There are different artworks that use this kind of color scheme and had been successful in taking the interest of the viewers. The same is true for web designing. The monochromatic color scheme makes your website design more elegant and also gives a good impact on the readers of the website.
Monochromatic color schemes make your web design more attractive. The monochromatic color scheme is much easier to make. You simply have to choose a base color and then add white and black to it to attain different shades. No one can compete with your website if your website color scheme looks simple. The simplicity in color schemes makes your website simple and easy to use.
Monochromatic color schemes make your web design more minimalist. The use of monochromatic colors in your website color scheme makes it easier for you to emphasize the more important elements of your web design. You can use contrasting colors for some elements in order for it to be easily noticed. That is why some designers usually use a monochromatic color scheme on their website design.
Useful prototyping tools for your design
Wondershare Mockitt is one of the best online tools for building a mobile app and web wireframes and prototypes. You don't need to write a single line of code to create a prototype.
With Mockitt, you can easily create a clickable prototype for mobile applications and collaborate with your team members. Changes are online in no time at all. If you want to store your Photoshop files with InVision right away, you have an advantage: PSD's are automatically converted into screens and uploaded. If changes are saved, the customer can see them immediately and see the entire memory history.
- Synchronization of designs
- Feedback as a checklist
- Revisions of the designs
- Great tool for working with developers!
With the help of Mockitt, we were able to involve our customers and other team members in the UI design for iOS and Android more in the design process and to throw the reviews with email completely overboard. Our experience shows that customers are far happier with the Mockitt process than with other approaches and are convinced. The tools and integrations are also convincing on the designer side. The constant updates and enhancements are fun!
