Colors are vital in creating an effective online course design. Thanks to the digital age, we have gotten used to visually stimulating learning materials. One of the best ways to make your course visually appealing is through colors. No matter how great your graphics are, if it has the wrong shades and hues, it can create the wrong emotions and behavior in the learners.
In order to use colors effectively, you have to understand it first. It is important for you to determine the right hues so you can maximize it in the learning process. Here are some tips that you can use to help colors compliment your online course.
- Use it to highlight important concepts and ideas. Every page of your course is bound to have a lot of elements. You have the text, images, etc. Most of the time, when we look at something for the first time, we tend to zoom in on one aspect before our eyes roam to the other areas. You can use colors to help learners zoom in on the right element in the page. The best shade that can help you accomplish this are warm colors. For instance, red usually stands out. Yellow is okay but it can be distracting.
- Place strong colors in strategic locations. These strong hues are those that are bold or those that stand out. Use them over neutral colors to keep the combination from becoming an eyesore. Try to place the strong colors in a specific place and do not position them all over the page. Putting a strong color on both ends of the page might confuse the learners. Also, make sure to distinguish bright from bold colors. While bright colors are attention grabbing, it can be hard to look at and read.
- Keep them interested by using warm colors. The right mix of colors in an online course can improve the attention span of learners. Since it is easier for us to be visually stimulated, colors can help us focus – if the right shade is used. Orange is a great shade to prevent boredom. Other warm colors like red and yellow can also do this – as long as it is not too strong to bright.
- Make courses easier to read through contrasting combinations. When you use bold colors over neutral it becomes easier for the eyes to decipher what is on the page. There are contrasting colors that blend well together like black on yellow or white and green or red on white. Generally, hard colors make text or images look bigger while softer hues achieve the opposite effect.
- Understand the meaning of each color. More than the aesthetic beauty, colors can evoke emotions in learners that can help them in the learning process. By choosing the right color, you can help learners concentrate, engage or be active. Depending on what the learning material will require, you have to use the right color to get the right response for them.
- Respect cultural colors. In case you will use the online course for a specific culture, you have to know what certain colors mean to the locals. Some people find red to be very offensive – while in others, it promotes love and affection.
Colors can be a great way to emphasize a point or engage your learners in the online course. Make sure you understand how to use it properly so you can benefit from the emotions and response that it will get from the learners.
Image courtesy of Kromkrathog for FreeDigitalPhotos.net