It's no secret that a simple can of paint can change a mood.

Students of color psychology know that red has a stimulating effect. Many restaurants use red tones in their decor because it has been shown to stimulate the appetite.

In fact, Frank Vodvarka, Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Loyola University, noted in a recent article that red and yellow together are a particularly potent appetite stimulator; can you think of a famous and very successful fast food restaurant chain that takes advantage of this?

Scientific studies have also shown that being in a red room can cause an increase in people's blood pressure and raise their pulse rate.

Yellow also has this effect, but to a lesser degree. Yellow generally has a more positive energizing effect on people than red; the color red can cause feelings of aggression and anger.

It's also no secret that interior designers use paint to manipulate the perception of a room's size; dark paint, for instance, makes a room look smaller. Depending on the room and the shade of paint, dark paint can create a feeling that is either cozy or cave- like and closed-in.

Pale pastel colors are soothing and calming, and are often used in hospitals and preschools.

Food researchers have noted that the color blue generally depresses the appetite.

Why are we telling you this on a website dedicated to web graphics? Because color will have the same effect on people visiting a website that it would have on those people as they walk into room.

The right selection and combination of colors will create an experience that is welcoming and pleasant for visitors, and will encourage them to return. The wrong combination of colors on a website create feelings of irritation and frustration, and encourage visitors to leave quickly and not want to return. Unless they're students of color psychology, they probably won't know why they have these feelings; color affects people on a subtle level, but it does affect them.

A talented graphic designer will know how to select the appropriate combinations of colors to create a pleasing visual experience that will encourage positive feelings in your potential customers. They will also know how to create colors that appeal to different clientele and deliver the appropriate message to the type of customer that you want to reach. A website that sells designer chocolates will want to use a very different color scheme than a website that appeals to dieters.

Be sure to talk to your web designer about color selection, about the moods and emotions that you are trying to evoke, and the message that you want your website to communicate to your customers.