A color wheel Standard Color Theory

-known as Brewster/Prang

color wheel is a visual representation of colors arranged in a circular format according to their
relationships to one another. It's a useful tool for understanding color theory and how different colors
interact. The color wheel typically consists of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

 Primary Colors: These are the fundamental colors that cannot be created by mixing other colors
together. In traditional color theory, the primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.
 Secondary Colors: These colors are created by mixing equal parts of two primary colors. The
secondary colors are green (mixed from blue and yellow), orange (mixed from red and yellow),
and purple (mixed from red and blue).
 Tertiary Colors: These colors are formed by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary
color. They are located between the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel. For
example, a color that is a mix of red and orange is a tertiary color.

The arrangement of colors on the color wheel can be divided into different color harmonies:

 Complementary Colors: Colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel are
considered complementary. When placed next to each other, they create contrast and can enhance
each other's vibrancy.
 Analogous Colors: These are colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. They tend
to create harmonious and cohesive color schemes.
 Triadic Colors: A triadic color scheme involves selecting three colors that are evenly spaced around
the color wheel. This creates a balanced and vibrant combination.
 Split-Complementary Colors: This scheme involves choosing a base color and then its two
complementary colors. However, instead of using the direct complement, you choose the colors on
either side of the complement. This creates a visually pleasing contrast while maintaining harmony.
 Monochromatic Colors: This scheme involves using different shades, tints, and tones of a single
color. This creates a harmonious and subtle color palette.
 Color wheels are used in various fields such as art, design, fashion, and interior decorating to help
creators choose color combinations that work well together and evoke specific emotions or moods.
They provide a visual reference for understanding color relationships and can assist in making
informed color choices.
The color wheel is a basic tool we use when working with colors.

It is based on the standard color theory known as Brewster/Prang.

In addition to the traditional color wheel, there are two color systems that are useful when more
detailed colors are required.

The Munsell system:

Has 5 principles hues and 5 intermediate hues. A numbering system helps designers
identify the exact hue they need.

The Ostwald system:

Made from pairs of complementary colors. The color circle has twenty-four hues.

 Baltic German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald.

Categories

Primary colors

 Red, Yellow, and Blue

 These colors cannot be combined from mixing any colors together.

B lue B lue-violet

B lue-green V iolet

G reen R ed-violet

Tertiary Color
Y ellow -green R ed

B lue B lue-violet

Y ellow R ed-orange
B lue-green V iolet

Y ellow -orange O range

G reen R ed-violet

Secondary Color Y ellow -green R ed

 Green, violet, and orange Y ellow R ed-orange

Y ellow -orange O range

 Made by combining the Primary colors together.

B lue B lue-violet  Yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet,

B lue-green V iolet
red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange.
G reen R ed-violet
 Made by combining a primary and a
secondary hue.
Y ellow -green R ed
 Named by the Primary color first.

Y ellow R ed-orange

Y ellow -orange O range

Color Basics
A color wheel is an illustrative model of color hues around a circle. It shows the relationships
between the primary, secondary, and intermediate/ tertiary colors and helps demonstrate color
temperature. Digital teams communicate exact colors through the use of hex codes.

It’s important to note that some people add more intermediates, for 24 total named colors, and
some color wheels show interior points and circles, which represent color mixtures.

Color Temperature
The colors on the red side of the wheel are warm; the green side of the wheel has the cooler
colors. These color temperature designations are absolute. More subtle color temperature
relationships are relative, meaning that each color on the warm side of the wheel can be known
as cool, and colors on the cools side of the wheel can be known as warm depending on the
relationship to their neighboring color. Colors from the same hue, for instance red, can also be
warmer or cooler than one another.

Color temperatures affect us both psychologically and perceptually by helping us determine how
objects appear positioned.

Warm Colors Cool Colors

Warm colors include red, orange, and yellow, Cool colors include green, blue, and purple,
and variations of those three colors. and variations of those three colors.

Red and yellow are both primary colors, with Blue is the only primary color within the cool
orange falling in the middle. spectrum.

Warm colors appear closer to the observer. Greens take on some of the attributes of
yellow, and purple takes on some of the
attributes of red.

They are often more subdued than warm

colors.

Cool colors appear farther from the observer.

Neutrals

Neutral colors include black, white, gray, tans, and browns. They’re commonly combined with
brighter accent colors but they can also be used on their own in designs. The meanings and
impressions of neutral colors depend more so upon the colors around them.

Color Models: CMYK vs. RGB

There are two models for colors. They have different purposes and different attributes. They
are as follows:

 CMYK Color Models: Stands for cyan, magenta, and yellow.

It applies to painting and printing. The CMYK model is a
subtractive model, meaning that colors are created through
absorbing wavelengths of visible light. The wavelengths of
light that don’t get absorbed are reflected, and that reflected
light ends up being the color we see.
 RGB Color Models: RGB stands for red, green, and blue. It
applies to computers, televisions, and electronics. The RGB
model is an additive model, meaning that colors are created
through light waves that are added together in particular
combinations in order to produce colors.
Isaac Newton, known for his work on gravity, had a book called "Opticks" where he introduced a
circle to show the connections between colors. He used this circle to explain how the mixture of
different colors of light could be predicted based on the amounts of each color. He represented
these colors as small circles. The circle's sections were uneven and were based on musical
scale intervals. Later versions of this circle included all colors between red and violet and had
equal-sized sections.
Other scientists, like Thomas Young and James Clerk Maxwell, found that our eyes perceive
three primary sensations of light. They discovered that by mixing red, green, and blue light in
specific amounts, almost all colors can be created.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Theory of Colours" was the first organized study of how colors
affect us physically (in 1810). His research on opposite colors influenced the arrangement of his
color wheel, which was similar to Ewald Hering's theory of opposite colors in 1872.
In simpler words, the colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel are the
ones that trigger each other's perception in our eyes.

Newton's color circle is divided into sections, but these sections are not all the same
size. They are actually based on the intervals found in a Dorian musical scale, which is a
specific pattern of musical notes. In contrast, most color circles that came after Newton's include
the color purple between red and violet, and they have sections that are all the same size.
Color experts, like scientists and psychologists, usually talk about the primary colors red, green,
and blue when discussing colors. They often arrange these colors in a circle to show their
relationships. This arrangement is commonly referred to as a "color circle," distinguishing it from
the term "color wheel."