One of the most hotly contested questions when developing a website is "What colors should I use?" As a client you may have a color scheme that is used thruout your marketing or maybe you haven't decided what to do yet. In either case there are a few things to consider.

Are my colors contemporary, dated, or trendy?

Dated is the one you want to avoid at all costs. Dated color schemes may not matter to your regular visitors who are fans of your content however newer users are experiencing your site for the first time. A dated color scheme implies that the site is old i.e.; the content is old as well. The perception may be that your site has no value becuase the data is old, though we both know that's not true. Perception is reality.

A contemporary color scheme trends towards muted tones which at least thus far appear to age gracefully.This is an excellent choice for those who don't plan to revamp the look of their website very often if at all. It also lends itself to consistency of experience for users as well as breeding a sense of familiarity. This approach makes me think of clients like financial services as well as professions like attorneys ,physicians, and dentists.

A trendy color scheme fit companies who can regularly update their look to match current trends.For example if your a toy wholesaler that used a "Tickle me Elmo" in your header and used accent colors of red thruout your layout, you'll defintely want to change that concept on a regular basis otherwise you then move into the "dated" color scheme category.

In closing, Consider your branding, content, audience and your schedule for revamping your look when determining color schemes for your next web project and you'll be on your way to answering the question" which colors should I use?".