What are web safe colors?
Color! Regardless of whether we understand the physics involved when lightwaves bounce from the surface of an object and into the eye and mind of the beholder, we are all persuaded, moved, aroused, challenged, inspired, repulsed, warned and informed by color and combinations of color.
Definitions of Color
RGB: R=Red; G=Green; B=Blue
Computer and monitors use differing amounts of these three hues to create their entire color spectrum. 100% values of each color results in a white screen. Absence of each color results in a dark screen. All other colors are created by varying the intensities of the three hues. The value for each hue is 0-255.
Hexidecimal (HEX) Values: These six-character values are used in HTML browser code to determine on-screen colors.
216 of these colors have been chosen as "Browser safe" -- they appear with reasonable accuracy across the many different types of browsers, platforms and monitors.
CMYK: C=Cyan (blue); M=Magenta; Y=Yellow; K=Black
All colors of the standard print-spectrum are achieved through combinations of these four ink colors. This kind of printing is often referred to as four-color process printing. The density of each color within a particular mix determines the final hue.
Why use web-safe colors?
Browser-safe colors are the 216 hues that can be shown on most computer screens with reasonable consistency and without dithering.
Some businesses choose their corporate colors from this palette so that there is consistency between on-screen and printed materials. Unfortunately, color choices are quite limited within this palette. Subtlety can be difficult to achieve using these colors alone.
Still, compelling combinations of color can be achieved from these 216 choices. It is important to understand that the type of computer and monitor used to view colors, as well as their settings, will affect their appearance, and you have no control over that.
Color's Influence
Color's primary hues (red, yellow and blue) are the building blocks for all other hues and lie at the foundation of every culture's language of color.
Because of their straightforward nature, these colors are often associated with certain nationalisms, beliefs or messages (the message depending on the colors chosen and their meaning to those who chose them).
Red, the color of blood, is often associated with life, vitality and heat.
Blue is often a calming hue, associated with water and sky.
Yellow is the color of the sun, and suggests positive energy and growth to many cultures.
Overall considerations of color choice
There are a variety of factors that affect color choices. One that is significant is that artwork proofed electronically (shown on screen) will not match the colors that a printing press sets on paper using ink.
Remember: Color images designed for on-screen presentation are always at the mercy of the viewer's platform, monitor and their respective settings.
Some systems, for example, tend to darken colors significantly and might even display many of the darker on-screen hues as black. Other systems tend to be overly light and have a hard time displaying lighter hues. Thus, it is a good idea to view artwork on a number of systems (including laptop and flat-screen monitors) to make sure than an acceptable solution has been found.
Note about dithered images: When an image contains one or more of the millions of colors outside of the browser-safe palette, the computer browser automatically creates a version of that color through a mixture from its browser-safe palette, which includes an additional forty colors that vary by machine and browser. The result is a dithered image -- an image that contains tiny dots that help define the color much in the same way as the screened dots on a printed piece blend to give the eye the impression of a specific hue.
Unfortunately, these on-screen dots can be undesirably noticeable when they appear in flat areas of color. Because of this DM Creative Services team of designers stick with browser-safe palette for flat-colored images, type, logos and backgrounds, and only allow dithering in continuous tone images and gradations.
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