I finally stopped using pure white backgrounds for client work

Honestly, I used to default to white backgrounds on almost every website mockup for like 5 years. It felt clean and safe, and every client I worked with in Portland seemed to expect it. Then about 6 months ago I did a project for a coffee shop and tried a very light warm cream instead. The whole design just felt more inviting. Now I use off-white or subtle tints on maybe 70% of my projects. Has anyone else found a small color shift that made their work click better?

3 comments

3 Comments

wrenh7915d ago

Oh sure, just a simple color shift - until you get that one client who insists the cream looks like "old teeth" and demands a hex code refund (not kidding, happened to a friend). At least nobody's getting jumpy about it, right? Right?

anthony16515d ago

That "clean and safe" line hit home. I did the same thing for years with my own business website and marketing materials. Out of curiosity, did the coffee shop client push back on the cream background or were they on board from the start? I've noticed a lot of clients get jumpy when you move away from what they're used to seeing.

nathang6715d ago

Fair point @anthony165 but let's be real, it's just a website background. Plenty of coffee shops slap a filter on some photos and call it a day without anyone getting worked up over cream versus white. People get "jumpy" about bigger stuff like pricing or menu design, not a slight color shift on a landing page.