50 Gorgeous Color Schemes From Award-Winning Websites

50 Gorgeous Color Schemes From Award-Winning Websites
Nayomi Chibana

Written by:
Nayomi Chibana

Sep 04, 2016
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Color is such a fundamental part of the way we perceive the world that we often take it for granted. Think about it: From the youthful and vivid orange on someone's attire to the gray and gloomy sky above us, colors have the power to mold our perceptions of others and even the circumstances we find ourselves in.

This is why one of the most powerful tools in a designer's arsenal is color. It can either make or break a design; it can be the determining factor in engaging viewers or sending them promptly on their way.

As a non-designer, I often find it difficult to find just the right colors for my amateur projects. Whether I'm creating a simple image to support my content or more elaborate projects such as a slide deck or infographic, I frequently spend a good amount of time looking for the perfect color scheme. I ask myself questions like: Do I want my design to be inviting? Provocative and bold? Or intelligent and elegant?

Unless you're a seasoned designer, it takes time and effort to find a color combination that works within your website's design principles, which is why the design team at Visme decided to provide our users with a handy list of beautiful color schemes from websites that have been recognized by Awwwards, the most prestigious award for Web designers and developers.

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After receiving plenty of positive feedback on our first color combination guide, we knew that our audience would appreciate another round of gorgeous palettes to choose from. For those looking to enhance their design skills even further, consider using color grading software to fine-tune the hues and tones of your images and videos.

You can easily apply these to any of your Visme projects by using the hex codes provided to the right of each image, as seen in the GIF above.

RELATED: 50 Beautiful Color Combinations (And How to Apply Them to Your Designs)

 

1 Colorful and Balanced

Warm and cool hues are combined in this colorful yet not overwhelming palette. From an appealing and bright bluish-green to an earthy terracotta, this color scheme is well-suited for youthful and modern designs.

2 Bright Accent Colors

Shades of blue and violet are combined with some eye-popping red and orange accents in this combination. Notice how the contrast between the vivid blue background and red-orange accents immediately draws the eyes to just the right places, from the top of the page down to video at the bottom.

3 Natural and Earthy

Feelings of being surrounded by a comforting blue sky and a nurturing scene of the outdoors are immediately evoked by this very "down-to-earth" color scheme. Ideal for designs related to nature and sustainability, this pleasant color combination may come in handy for projects that emphasize environmental consciousness.

4 Cool and Fresh

A dark imperial blue and emerald green come together in this scheme to create a clean and refreshing palette. Reminiscent of the ocean or any water-related setting, this combination is ideal for designs intended to convey a calm and reliable image.

5 Audacious and Vibrant

This eye-catching combination of coral red and turquoise, along with other shades of blue, is both vibrant and audacious. The cooler blues are wonderfully offset by a bold feature color, making this a perfect color scheme for any edgy and modern-looking design.

6 Vermillion and Russian Green

A common technique used by modern sites, this page creates an appealing contrast by combining a black background with bold accent colors. In this case, variations of red, such as vermillion and auburn, are complemented by a unique Russian green.

7 Stylish and Sophisticated

This elegant color scheme brings together dark muted tones to create a clean and sophisticated look. Its shades of gray and blue are ideal for more conservative designs.

8 Purple Tints and Tones

Shades of dark reddish brown combine with deep Tuscan red and old lavender to create a unique palette that draws you in with its warmth and depth. This scheme is ideal for elegant pieces looking for a dash of energy and richness.

9 Deep Purples and Blues

This dark and mysterious color scheme with a vibrant blue accent follows a prevailing Web design trend: The use of dark background colors with bright and bold accent colors.

10 Contemporary and Bold

An appealing combination of pinks, reds, blacks and grays, this modern-looking palette evokes sensations of luxury, sophistication and minimalism.

11 Lively and Inviting

This beautiful combination of candy pink, green-yellow, lavender gray and pastel brown is ideal for designs looking to project a vibrant and inviting image.

12 Striking and Simple

It's hard to look away when faced with a minimalist yet striking design such as this. The dark smoky black background coupled with a striking electric blue make this a winning color scheme, useful for a variety of projects.

13 Red and Lively

Using the red Polish flag as a basis for its color scheme, this attractive website combines a dark scarlet red with dark pink over a light gray background. Its lively and creative and, at the same time, refined in its use of a minimalist color scheme with different shades of the same hue.

14 Artsy and Creative

This colorful combination of goldenrod, vermillion, dark blue and Dutch white brings to life this artsy and creative design for an online archive of musical works.

15 Elegant Yet Approachable

This unique blend of skin tones and more elegant colors such as dark imperial blue and ruby makes this the ideal color scheme for designs with nuanced messages. Reserved yet approachable; sophisticated yet fun: These are the kinds of gray-area messages that are effectively sent with this eye-pleasing combination.

Want to use these color schemes in your own visuals?

  • Simply copy and paste the hex codes
  • Use these colors in your presentations, printables, social graphics or any other visual content
  • Apply professionally selected color schemes with one click

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16 Sleek and Futuristic

This eye-catching blend of blue sapphire, gunmetal gray and platinum on the one hand and peach-orange and tan on the other make for a modern and sleek color scheme. Used here to project a futuristic image, the cool, metallic colors are effectively tempered by more human, earthy tones.

17 Innovative and Audacious

This in-your-face combination of Portland Orange, vivid yellow and jade on a dark gray, almost black background screams for your attention. Daring and full of energy, this color combination is perfect if you're going for a contemporary and audacious look.

18 Texturized and Dynamic

Dark sienna, charcoal and a burst of pale red violet make this color scheme a must-have for those looking for an elegant, futuristic yet dynamic look and feel. This color combination is versatile enough it can be used in projects ranging from modern-looking corporate reports to magazines and editorial content in general.

19 Minimal Yet Warm

Eggshell white, dark vanilla and taupe gray with jelly bean red highlights come together in this minimalist yet warm and inviting site. The burst of energetic color throughout the design makes this site elegant and inviting at the same time.

20 Vivid and Sharp

Dark cerise, royal purple and dark slate blue are blended in this beautiful and engaging site. The deep cerise acts as an accent color over the dark purple background, leading the viewers' eyes to the navigation menu as soon as they arrive on the site.

21 Clean and Energetic

The shades of blue and violet in this site are especially pleasing to the eye and evoke both energy and peace at the same time. Blueberry and sky blue are artfully combined with amethyst to give life to a refreshing and eye-pleasing color combination suitable for any design which aims to incite positive emotions.

22 Corporate and Traditional

If you're looking for a more muted and corporate look, this color scheme brings together shades of green, blue and brown that convey both professionalism and reliability. Phthalo Green, dark slate gray and pewter blue are just some of the colors used here.

23 Blue and Refreshing

A range of blues, from a bright lapis lazuli blue to aqua blue, make this a reserved yet beautiful color scheme. It can be used in a variety of different visuals, from muted corporate projects to design-related ones, as in this case.

24 Clean and Modern

A beautiful myrtle green and keppel come together here with azureish white and plain white in a simple but effective combination.

25 Vibrant and Elegant

This bright and elegant color scheme brings together a very saturated light cold blue with other shades, such as dark slate blue and pale cornflower blue. This combination is elegantly complemented by a bright and vivid shade of pink.

26 Youthful and Fun

This playful and colorful scheme combines several vibrant hues: bright turquoise, tangerine yellow and dark orchid.

27 Gorgeous Contrast

This sleek and ultra-modern site boasts an elegant and eye-catching combination with effective contrast. The bright yellow-green combines well with the black and gray in the background.

28 Effective Accent Colors

This is another example of a site that effectively uses a bright accent color to delineate a path for the viewers' eyes. In this case, the bright yellow draws the eye first to the title, then the path up the mountain and finally to the call-to-action buttons at the bottom of the page.

29 Modernity in Full Bloom

This combination of ocean green, aquamarine and sea green perfectly communicates the concept of modernity and at the same time, life and fertility, which is totally in sync with some of the words in the site's central message: digital, nurture and bloom.

30 Close to Nature

This earthy combination of green with a range of blues, from pale cerulean to teal blue, is perfect for conservative designs intended to project an image of stability, reliability and abundance.

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31 Bright Pink and Pastels

This lively site brings together a bright raspberry pink with softer colors such as pastel blue and light pastel purple. The result is a wonderfully fresh and lighthearted color scheme.

32 Unique Combination

This unlikely blend of a range of dark pinks with a blues makes this a unique and engaging combination that can be used for a range of projects in different fields.

33 Striking Citrus Colors

This fresh and citrusy blend of light greenish-yellows, lime green and black is a favorite among brands related to high-adrenaline sports and energy drinks.

34 Vivid Blues and Orange

The bright turquoise background and orange call-to-action button on this site may be a bit loud for some visitors, but the combination definitely conveys high-energy emotions, which go along with the image in the background.

35 Rose Red and Blueberry

This range of pinks and reds with a bright blue call-to-action button creates plenty of visual interest and draws attention to itself immediately.

36 Audacious and Unique

This bold and unique combination of royal blue and gold, with vivid cyan highlights, captures the eye. Its unexpected and somewhat out-of-the-box thinking help make this website a winner.

37 Cheerful and Energetic

The cyan, blues and oranges on this page make this a particularly inviting and energetic design that can be applied to projects with an optimistic and uplifting message.

38 Snowy Yet Warm

This wintery red and blue combination evokes both coolness and warmth at the same time, similar to images related to the winter holidays.

39 Rich and Colorful

This bright and rich color combination brings together a vivid yellow, blue and pink in this beautiful minimalist design, which can be used in lively yet professional projects.

40 Modern and Minimalist

This site pulls off an attractive design with just a few elements and a well-chosen color scheme. Turkish rose, middle green and yellow geometric shapes over a black and gray background are enough to catch the viewer's eye.

41 Intrepid and Fearless

This effective color combination uses shades of blue and red to create a sense of boldness and ardent professionalism, ideal for designs looking to convey power and competence.

42 Flat Design Colors

Even if you're not familiar with the term flat design, you've probably seen it before: Websites with no drop shadows, no gradients, no bevels; in short, no three-dimensional elements.

While the site above adds a bit of a shadow effect to the boy on the right, it would technically qualify as flat design 2.0, which is nothing more than the addition of a few very subtle three-dimensional effects.

As seen here, flat design colors tend to be very bright and super saturated.

43 Eclectic and Peaceful

This unique combination of a coffee tone with sky blue and different shades of brown makes this a soothing and comforting color scheme: Something reminiscent of your favorite coffee house or lounge.

44 Classy and Traditional

This combination of cameo pink, UCLA blue and and granite gray brings to mind the kind of attire used by well-to-do, preppy college students. Although this makes sense considering the site's target audience, this scheme can also be used in any design looking for both seriousness and a bit of liveliness.

45 Accent Colors That Pop

This Spotify site makes perfect use of a grape-colored accent against a very dark desaturated violet. This color scheme can be used for any design where you have a few elements or a central message you really want to pop.

Want to use these color schemes in your own visuals?

  • Simply copy and paste the hex codes
  • Use these colors in your presentations, printables, social graphics or any other visual content
  • Apply professionally selected color schemes with one click

Sign up. It's free.

46 Corporate and Serious

Oxford blue with a few bright blue and red highlights make this a very traditional and corporate site. Blue and green, which convey professionalism and stability, are commonly used colors for corporate reports.

47 Glamorous and Fashion-Forward

This blend of gold, purple and black bring to mind words such as wealth and extravagance. Accordingly, this combination can be applied to designs related to fashion, luxury and high-end products.

48 Eye-Catching and Sleek

This beautiful combination of viridian green and telemagenta over a dark background creates heightened visual interest and draws the viewer in at first glance. Bold yet professional, this color combination, when used correctly, can even be applied to corporate designs.

49 Loud and In-Your-Face

Whereas the previous color scheme was eye-catching--but not too bright--this combination is purposely loud, to the point that it might repel some viewers. When looking to make a bold statement, though, this combination may work well when done right, as in this case.

50 Lively Yet Soothing

This relaxing yet cheerful combination of lemon, yellow, mint and dark cyan make this an ideal color scheme for any message looking to convey energy, optimism and, at the same time, harmony and growth.

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    About the Author

    Nayomi Chibana is a journalist and writer for Visme’s Visual Learning Center. Besides researching trends in visual communication and next-generation storytelling, she’s passionate about data-driven content.