Background color?

[Alps]

I've heard some mixed feedback with my current orange color.  I'm also looking to integrate all of my site into a single theme.  From this point forward, I want to change the color of every page I edit to some new, better color.  Here's the deal: I'd like a color that displays white and black text well and supports other common colors.  So what would you want to see?  If possible, please link to an example or give RGB coordinates.

[agentsteel53]

I've heard some mixed feedback with my current orange color.  I'm also looking to integrate all of my site into a single theme.  From this point forward, I want to change the color of every page I edit to some new, better color.  Here's the deal: I'd like a color that displays white and black text well and supports other common colors.  So what would you want to see?  If possible, please link to an example or give RGB coordinates.

how come both white and black are a necessity?  I rather like the light green that is the background of alternating posts in the Button Copy theme here on the forum, but of course for that the text has to be dark.  The light green is compatible with blue links, and black ordinary text.

[corco]

Like Jake said, if you insist on displaying both white and black text, the orange is probably as good as you're going to get. Just looking at your site, it looks like you could pick one font color for both white and black, and bold/italicize where appropriate to get the same effect. Obviously, that's a lot more work, so I understand where you may not want to go that direction (I have a similar issue with my site where if I were to go back and start over, I'd do some things a bit differently, but as it stands now there's no way I have time to rewrite the code for 4,000 individual pages so things continue as-is, and it's not something where I'd be able to mass-script a modification), but I'd pick one color if at all possible.

Otherwise, either white or a very light color like the green Jake mentioned or an equivelant blue, orange, brown, or whatever just looks a lot more modern

[froggie]

A medium green should be usable with both black and white text.  Personally, I'm not a fan of the orange.

[Alps]

I was leaning toward a medium green... one thing that concerns me about green though is that past a certain point, blue links get lost against it.  Until I implement CSS, link color will be an issue.  Same reason to avoid blue.  I could certainly lighten up the orange and just do black text.  As I said, for now I'm just doing it on pages I edit, so the change will roll through slowly, and I can monitor things like font color as I go.

I guess I could narrow it down:  Choice #1: Light color or medium color?  Medium color would be of similar intensity to the orange so that it can support white text.  Light color would support black text only.  Choice #2: What shade?  I'd like to keep something unique, but it can be red instead of orange, etc.
Edit: I tried light orange at http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/clinched.html - what do you think?

[xcellntbuy]

I like the light orange.  Sort of a melon color.

[corco]

That's much better- it's not nearly so blinding

[usends]

I agree - the melon color is easier on the eyes.  And you could still go with two different text colors, if you want - you'd just have to substitute something else for white.

[bugo]

Heliotrope

[Scott5114]

You should definitely move to CSS wherever possible. If you put the CSS in an external file and link to that, all you need to do to change the entirety of the site is edit that one file. So if people complain about it, you can easily try something else...

[Alps]

CSS has far more functionality than I ever would use.  Also, my pages are written as one giant paragraph. *grin* I definitely didn't think ahead, but it means that I have far too great a task to ever convert my pages to something that I could apply CSS to.

[Scott5114]

Yes, but with CSS you can at least change the background colors, fonts, and how the heading tags are displayed. Which is better than nothing.

[Roadsign199qc]

I hate orange.

[Alps]

I hate orange.

I bet you people also hate white, black, and every other possible color in between.  At least I'm moving to a less offensive orange.

[xcellntbuy]

The melon-like orange is a terrific background color.

[hbelkins]

I hate orange.

Reminds me too much of the Tennessee Vols to be one of my favorite colors.