Wondering how to choose website colors? You open the color picker and stare at millions of options. You browse competitors and see the same safe blues and grays everywhere. You want something distinctive, professional, and memorable — but you are not a designer, and creating a palette from scratch feels overwhelming.
We solved this problem by borrowing from the masters.
Our entire website color scheme came from a single painting created in 1913. No design degree required. No expensive consultant. Just a dead Italian painter who understood color better than any of us ever will.
This guide explains exactly how to choose website colors using famous artwork — and how you can do the same for your own website. Furthermore, we will share specific paintings that work for different brand types, from corporate to creative.
Table of Contents
- Why Art Solves the Color Problem
- How We Chose Our Colors (Case Study)
- Recommended Artworks for Different Brands
- How to Choose Website Colors: Step-by-Step Guide
- Understanding Color Psychology
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Art Solves the Color Problem
Great painters spent their lives solving color problems. They figured out which combinations create calm, which demand attention, which feel luxurious, and which feel approachable. They tested these combinations on canvases that now hang in museums — proven solutions that have worked for centuries.
When you extract a palette from a famous painting, you are not just getting pretty colors. You are getting a tested emotional framework that a master spent years perfecting. Therefore, learning how to choose website colors from art gives you a professional result without the professional price tag.
Read about color psychology in art →
How We Chose Our Colors (Case Study)
When we redesigned this website, we had specific criteria:
- Professional but not corporate
- Distinctive but not trendy
- Warm but not aggressive
- Not orange (our competitor owns that color locally)
We discovered Color Lisa, a curated collection of color palettes extracted from masterpieces. Each palette includes five colors drawn from famous paintings.
One painting stopped us: The Red Tower by Giorgio de Chirico (1913).
The painting shows a tower rising against a bright Italian sky — architectural, surreal, and oddly calming. De Chirico believed architecture could evoke emotion. The composition is simple: a red tower, blue sky, deep shadows, and warm light.
View The Red Tower on WikiArt →
Our Palette
- Slate Charcoal (#292C17) — Text and headings. Grounded and professional without being harsh black.
- Sky Blue (#2992BF) — Hover states and interactive elements. The color of confidence and clarity.
- Turquoise (#4CBED9) — Menu backgrounds and secondary accents. Fresh, modern, and distinctive.
- Coral (#F0742A) — Active page indicators and calls-to-action. Warmer than orange, more energetic than red.
- Cream (#F9F6EF) — Contrast text and subtle highlights. Soft white with warmth.
The result feels architectural and intentional — exactly what we wanted for a photography studio.
Recommended Artworks for Different Brands
Here are specific paintings from Color Lisa that create distinct emotional effects for different types of websites:
For Corporate & Professional Services
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
Golden beiges, olive greens, and deep browns. Conveys trustworthiness, heritage, and timeless authority. Perfect for law firms, financial advisors, and established consultancies.
For Creative Agencies & Designers
Where Do We Come From? by Paul Gauguin
Mustard yellows, deep navies, and lime greens. Bold, energetic, and completely unexpected. Signals creativity and courage. Use if you want to stand out from the sea of minimalist design studios.
For Wellness & Lifestyle Brands
Seawall by Richard Diebenkorn
Ocean blues, sage greens, and warm neutrals. Calming, coastal, and refined. Ideal for spas, yoga studios, wellness coaches, and lifestyle consultants.
For Luxury & High-End Services
Night Windows by Edward Hopper
Deep teals, burgundy, cream, and gold. Moody, cinematic, and sophisticated. Perfect for high-end real estate, luxury goods, and premium services.
For Bold, Youthful Brands
DUSTHEADS by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Raw reds, electric blues, greens, and yellows. Urban, energetic, and unapologetic. For brands that want to disrupt and make noise.
How to Choose Website Colors: Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to create your own art-based color scheme? Here is the process:
Step 1: Define Your Brand Emotion
Before browsing paintings, write down three words that describe how you want visitors to feel. Examples:
- Trustworthy, established, calm
- Bold, creative, energetic
- Luxurious, sophisticated, exclusive
- Warm, approachable, friendly
Step 2: Browse Color Lisa
Visit Color Lisa and look for paintings that match your emotional words. Do not worry about the subject matter — a portrait, landscape, or abstract can all provide great palettes. Focus on the feeling the colors create.
Step 3: Test the Palette
Each Color Lisa palette shows five hex codes. Assign them to website elements:
- Darkest color: Primary text and headings
- Medium-dark color: Secondary text and borders
- Bright/primary color: Links, buttons, and calls-to-action
- Secondary bright color: Hover states and accents
- Lightest color: Backgrounds and contrast text
Step 4: Check Accessibility
Ensure your text colors have enough contrast against your backgrounds. Use a tool like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to verify your combinations meet accessibility standards.
Understanding Color Psychology
Colors trigger emotional responses. Understanding these associations helps you choose website colors that align with your brand message.
Blue: Trust and Stability
Blue is the most universally liked color. It signals trust, calm, and professionalism. Banks, tech companies, and healthcare providers use blue to establish credibility. However, blue is also the most common brand color — using it without variation can make you blend in.
More on blue psychology →
Green: Growth and Health
Green represents nature, growth, and renewal. It is the easiest color for the eye to process, creating a sense of calm. Financial services use green to suggest prosperity. Wellness brands use it to signal health and balance.
Yellow and Orange: Energy and Optimism
These warm colors attract attention and create feelings of happiness and energy. However, they can also signal cheapness or aggression if overused. Best used as accents rather than primary colors.
Complete guide to color meanings →
Red: Urgency and Passion
Red creates urgency and grabs attention. It increases heart rate and demands action. Use red for sale buttons, warnings, and calls-to-action — but sparingly, or you will exhaust your visitors.
Purple: Luxury and Creativity
Historically associated with royalty (purple dye was once more expensive than gold), this color signals luxury, creativity, and sophistication. Beauty brands and creative agencies often use purple to stand out.
Color psychology for branding →
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use art instead of just picking colors I like?
Great artists have already solved the hard color problems. They have tested combinations that work together emotionally and visually. By borrowing from their palettes, you get proven color harmony without the trial and error.
Will my site look like I copied the painting?
No. You are extracting five colors, not reproducing the artwork. Most visitors will never know the colors came from a painting — they will just notice that your site feels cohesive and distinctive.
What if I cannot find a painting that matches my brand?
Keep looking. Color Lisa has hundreds of palettes from dozens of artists across different periods and styles. There is almost certainly a combination that works for your brand.
Do I need to credit the artist?
You are not reproducing the artwork — just using colors that appear in it. No credit is legally required. However, we chose to write this page explaining our process because we think it is an interesting story that differentiates our brand.
Can I use this method for print materials too?
Absolutely. Once you have your hex codes, convert them to CMYK for print. Your brand colors will stay consistent across digital and physical media.
How do I know if my palette is accessible?
Test your text color against your background color using a contrast checker. WCAG guidelines recommend a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. This ensures visitors with visual impairments can read your content.
Start Your Color Search
The perfect palette for your website already exists. It has been hanging in a museum for decades, waiting for you to find it.
Visit Color Lisa and start browsing. Your brand’s colors are closer than you think.
Want to see this approach in action? Explore our website to experience The Red Tower palette firsthand.
