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		On a Web site, color can be used for destructive purposes: it can destroy the message you want to convey to your users; it can drive them blind and half-insane; and worse yet, it can cause them to promptly click that Back Button, never to return. I'm so convinced of color's destructive powers that I'll bet you won't last five minutes when you take a look at this severe example. Edward R. Tufte (Envisioning Information, 1990) writes about the visual design of "everyday" information and publications. While the Web as we know it today did not exist in 1990, his ideas have direct application to on-line page design: On the plus side, proper use of color can bring some zing! to your pages. It can be used to label elements, to depict quantities or values (think of a pie chart), or simply to decorate your work. At its most valuable, color can accomplish combinations of these tasks. On each of my pages, for example, the current topic is shown with a rich, burgundy graphic: This color serves to label the page, as well as decorate the layout. Since I employ it consistently, the color helps tie my pages together using repetition. So, how do you know what colors to choose, and what combinations to avoid? Experimentation always serves me well, but to be more practical, here are some guidelines. These are not my invention; Eduard Imhof, a cartographer who wrote about design practices for Swiss maps, makes these suggestions. Rule 1: A bright, pure color washed over a large space can be irritating. Remember my severe example? However, a bright, pure color used sparingly on a dull background or between dull colors can be dynamic. Rule 2: By putting bright colors next to each other, you can create some really nasty effects. Mix them and you eliminate what potential value they might have had to enliven or brighten your topic. You'll also notice that colors sometimes seem to "shift" when placed in context with each other. Compare the boxes below. The yellow on turquoise looks slightly muddied, while leaps off the black box, clean and bright. These two yellows are exactly the same. Rule 3: Background colors spread over large areas should be subtle, so as not to distract from foreground elements. This is most important for designers that like to try out different background colors or use background images to tile their pages. If the background is "noisy" then the text and image elements that sit on top will become lost, and their impact reduced. You can convey authority in your pages by using colors found in nature, like blues and grays. The default slate gray you see on Netscape is too dark. Since photographs and other images look good on black, but text looks good on lighter backgrounds, the browser programmers tried to strike a balance.