Complementary Colors in Marketing | Spectrum Net Designs

Let's Talk about Complementary Colors in Websites & Marketing

Originally Published: Shannan DuShane | September 2016 | Spectrum Net Designs, Inc

Updated and Revisited Content Posted: Nicole Vranich | August 2025 | Spectrum Net Designs, Inc

Complementary colors create high contrast and vibrant looks that allow elements to stand out and grab the user’s attention. Creating a proper color palette for your brand helps with brand recognition. If you ever have a hard time finding complementary colors for your website or marketing material, this is the tool for you! Try the Adobe Color Wheel!  This is an interactive color tool that goes over and beyond what you can expect. Don’t forget to write down your color combinations or print them off for later.

How To Use The Adobe Color Wheel:

  • Go to the Adobe Color Wheel 
  • Choose a base color (can also upload and extract a color from an image or logo to get started) 
  • Experiment with color harmony options (complementary, monochromatic, analogous, etc.) 
  • Play around with different shades and colors 
  • Save the palette you created!

Where and How to Apply Your Colors

  • Website Design
    • Background 
    • Logo
    • Text 
    • Accent Colors
  • Marketing and Advertising  
    • Brochures
    • Ads
    • Posters
  • Social Media 
    • Consistent and cohesive branding through posts
  • Logo Design
    • Creating Brand Identity

Keep In Mind...

  • Readable, keep your colors and palette easy to read and see so that the user experience doesn’t get negatively affected by the theme.
  • Before you decide on colors, test them on different screens and devices! Contrast Checkers can help out with that and make sure that your design is looking good!
  • Keep it consistent across platforms – this will allow consumers the ability to develop brand recognition.
  • Try out different pairings, see what you like, what works, and what kind of messages you feel from the designs you make. There may be an unexpected pairing that works perfectly. Not sure if it will convey your brand the proper way? Create mock-ups of ads or social media posts and see what works best.

Colors are not just for creating an aesthetic, but to form an identity around your brand. This will influence how consumers perceive your business, and with the right colors, you can send the right message. Even if you aren’t in the market to find your colors because you have them already, then that’s great, but you can still try it for fun; you never know when you might need complementary colors for your business, new material, or website. Attract attention and build connections with consumers.