4 ms·

Utter bullshit. The original background color of websites was #c0c0c0, the same default color grey used in desktop apps. It was a big to-do, switching that defa

by aristus 14y ago

Utter bullshit. The original background color of websites was #c0c0c0, the same default color grey used in desktop apps. It was a big to-do, switching that default. The reason most sites are blue is because the human eye is better able to distinguish shades of blue. Also, a significant % of people are red/green colorblind.

chewxy 14y ago
I think blue is also a colour that inspires trust across cultures, which is why blue is so prevalent
eru 14y ago
> The reason most sites are blue is because the human eye is better able to distinguish shades of blue. Than what other shades? I thought humans were good at shades of green? Anyway, do you have any sources?
- 0x0 14y ago
  16bit RGB graphics modes allocate an extra bit to the green channel, so I think you're right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monochrome_and_RGB_palettes#16-bit_RGB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monochrome_and_RGB_pale...
tzs 14y ago
> The reason most sites are blue is because the human eye is better able to distinguish shades of blue. Huh? It's shades of yellow/green that we are best able to distinguish. We're not good at blue.
- HCIdivision17 14y ago
  Yup. Mind, color is _really_ complicated. The math to calculate color spaces is completely non-obvious, the eye's reactions to colors is subtle, and the brain seems to interpret colors in interesting ways. (I remember at work, we needed to figure out why a thing was getting _more_ red as we shifted it into the blue spectrum... turns out that's why they call it ultraviolet.) I'll refer to a cool demonstration of this in action: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1891753 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1891753 It's not scientific, but it's certainly telling. TL;DR: Green is the color we see well.
pygy_ 14y ago
I don't get the point of your comment, nor how it got to the top of the page. The article gives an evidence-based assessment of the effect of colors on user engagement according to their mindset. The default color of Netscape 2 has nothing to do with it. And your eyes suck at blue: http://nfggames.com/games/ntsc/visual.shtm http://nfggames.com/games/ntsc/visual.shtm

by aristus 14y ago

chewxy 14y ago

I think blue is also a colour that inspires trust across cultures, which is why blue is so prevalent

eru 14y ago

> The reason most sites are blue is because the human eye is better able to distinguish shades of blue. Than what other shades? I thought humans were good at shades of green? Anyway, do you have any sources?

0x0 14y ago
16bit RGB graphics modes allocate an extra bit to the green channel, so I think you're right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monochrome_and_RGB_palettes#16-bit_RGB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monochrome_and_RGB_pale...

tzs 14y ago

> The reason most sites are blue is because the human eye is better able to distinguish shades of blue. Huh? It's shades of yellow/green that we are best able to distinguish. We're not good at blue.

HCIdivision17 14y ago
Yup. Mind, color is _really_ complicated. The math to calculate color spaces is completely non-obvious, the eye's reactions to colors is subtle, and the brain seems to interpret colors in interesting ways. (I remember at work, we needed to figure out why a thing was getting _more_ red as we shifted it into the blue spectrum... turns out that's why they call it ultraviolet.) I'll refer to a cool demonstration of this in action: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1891753 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1891753 It's not scientific, but it's certainly telling. TL;DR: Green is the color we see well.

pygy_ 14y ago

I don't get the point of your comment, nor how it got to the top of the page. The article gives an evidence-based assessment of the effect of colors on user engagement according to their mindset. The default color of Netscape 2 has nothing to do with it. And your eyes suck at blue: http://nfggames.com/games/ntsc/visual.shtm http://nfggames.com/games/ntsc/visual.shtm