The Cultural Considerations Of Using Blue In Your Web Designs

These days, the web designs that are created here in Australia are accessible by people all over the world. Whilst the ability to send a particular message around the world is something that designers are reveling in, it has led to an increased importance on understanding how those messages are being sent. Colour can actually send a number of messages, depending on your culture, so let’s take a look at how blue is viewed across the world.

• Western (Australia, North America and Europe)
  Blue is seen as representing trust and authority, as well as being considered masculine. It is also seen as being calming, soothing and peaceful. In some cases, blue is associated with depression and sadness.
• Eastern and Asian
  It is a colour that is often associated with immortality. In India, blue is the colour of Krishna (a Hindu god) and is used to symbolize strength. In Chinese cultures, it is actually considered a feminine colour.
• South America
  As these cultures have quite a large Catholic population, the colour blue is often associated with religion. In some cultures, it is also associated with mourning, whilst Mexico views the colour symbolizes trust and serenity.
• Middle East
  In these countries, blue is considered a safe and protecting colour. When used in web designs, it is often associated with images of Heaven, spirituality and immortality.

 As you can see, there are a number of different meanings all associated with the colour blue. Even so, it is often considered the safest colour to use if you are trying to create web designs for a global audience. In the future, make sure that you take into account the way that certain colours are perceived, otherwise you may find yourself offending some people.