Using Color To Set Your Course Mood

By: Justin Ferriman • April 7, 2016
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woman-with-finger-gogglesDigital media has a way of influencing how we feel and interpret certain messages. The same can be said for how learners perceive an elearning course.

The colors, images, and other forms of media used throughout a course can “set the mood” for the learner. Certain colors may be better than others depending on the topic.

As you create your online courses it’s a good idea to keep this in mind. You don’t have to be an expert to understand some basics about colors and the impact they can have on the course material.

You can use the following as a general guideline. Granted these don’t account for all colors (and the various shades) but it’s a start:

  • Red – Passionate, Aggressive, Important
  • Orange – Playful, Energetic, Cheap
  • Yellow – Happy, Friendly, Warning
  • Green – Natural, Stable, Prosperous
  • Blue – Serene, Trustworthy, Inviting
  • Purple – Luxurious, Mysterious, Romantic
  • Pink – Feminine, Young, Innocent
  • Brown – Earthy, Sturdy, Rustic
  • Black – Powerful, Sophisticated, Edgy
  • White – Clean, Virtuous, Healthy
  • Gray – Neutral, Formal, Gloomy
  • Beige – Accentuates surrounding colors

The descriptions above were taken from this article by CreativeBloq. For each color they provide an example and more details about the feelings they evoke.

When you find a color that best fits your course content it’s important to create a color pallet as part of your style guide.

This will ensure that you don’t use colors that clash and that you don’t get carried away by using too much color.

For more information about using color in elearning, have a look at this article by IconLogic. They provide some details on how to go about creating a cohesive pallet.

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter