Color Theory
First impressions are
everything. How you look
and how you present yourself
can determine how you are
perceived. The same goes for
our design work.
Color Wheel
Color Wheel is the basic theory of color represented in a
circle(wheel).
Primary Colors
start out with the basis of all colors, called the
Primary Colors. These are red, yellow, and blue.
Secondary Colors
mix primary colors you create the secondary
colors, which are green, orange and violet.
Combining these colors in projects can make for a
lot of contrast.
Tertiary Colors
take the secondary colors and mix them with the
primary colors. These are red-violet, blue-violet,
blue-green, yellow-green, red-orange, and
yellow-orange.
Color Combinations
So, now that you know how colors are made, you
can understand how the color combinations on
the color wheel model work
Color Combinations
Understanding the principles of color combinations will
help you to choose combinations that work well together,
set the right mood, and create the right amount of
contrast within your design work.
Monochromatic colors
Take one hue and create other elements from different shades and
tints of it. For example, adding white to red creates pink, adding
black to red creates maroon, etc.
Analogous colors
colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. It is a good idea
to choose a set of analogous colors that create a sense of variety. A
good example would be blue-green, blue, and blue-violet or yellow-
green, yellow, and yellow-orange.
Complementary colors
colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Examples
would be blue and orange, red and green, Yellow and purple, etc.
Complementary color schemes create a high amount of contrast, but
can create a lot of visual vibration when they are used at full
saturation.
Split-Complementary colors
Add colors from either side of your complementary color pair to
soften contrast. Examples would be green, red-orange and blue,
yellow, violet-red and blue-violet, orange-yellow, blue and violet.
Triadic colors
colors that are evenly spaced around the color
wheel. A triad has a nice variety of colors, but is
also well balanced. In the examples above,
blue- violet and yellow-green create a lot of
Tetradic colors
Select two opposites on the color wheel and then
select another color two spaces over and its
compliment across the color wheel.
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The square color model takes four colors evenly spaced around the
color wheel. In the example above, the colors are blue, orange, red-
violet, and yellow-green. This color scheme is really nice and would
work well with one strong color and muted versions of the other
colors.
Tints and Shades
A tint of a color is when you take a color, such as blue in
the example above, and add white to it. A shade is a
hue that has black added to it. You can create a
monochromatic color scheme by using tints and shades
of the same hue.
Warm Colors
Warm colors create a sense of warmth and heat in an image or a
design. When you see warm colors, you think of the sun, heat, fire,
and love (passion). Red is the color of blood, which is warm, and
orange and yellow go along with summer. Adding an orange photo
filter to an image instantly makes it look warmer and happier.
Cool Colors
Cool colors carry connotations of cool climates, winter, death,
sadness, ice, night, and water. Cool colors can be associated with
calmness, tranquility, trust, cleanliness. Purple is associated
with royalty, because they are supposed to be reserved.
WARM COLOR VS. COOL COLOR
Color Meaning
Red
Red is the color of love and passion. Boxes of candies are red on
valentines day. Some are pink, which is a tint of red. Red is also the
color of anger and blood. Red, orange and yellow are all found in
fire. Red can also mean danger
Red
Stop signs are red, which get our attention and tell us to be careful
and look before we proceed. Red is dominant, and when combined
with colors such as black, can create a very masculine look. Red
commands attention and can set a serious tone.
Orange
Orange represents warmth, but isn’t aggressive like red is. Orange
can portray a fun atmosphere because it is energetic and creates a
sense of warmth without associated connotations of danger and
blood, as with the color red. Orange can be associated with health,
such as vitamin C, which is commonly found in oranges.
Yellow
Yellow is associated with the sun and warmth. When used with
orange, it creates a sense of summer fun. Yellow can be associated
with thirst, and can be found on the walls of many refreshment
shops.
Yellow
Yellow can also be associated with fear, which comes from the old
expression of someone being “yellow.” When combined with black,
it can gain a lot of attention. A good example outside of design
would be a taxi. The combination gets a lot of attention.
Green
Green is the color of money, so in our culture it is associated with
wealth. Since most plants are green, it is also associated with growth
and health. It is used to show that products are natural and healthy,
it also connotes profit and gain. Combined with blue, green further
perpetuates health, cleanliness, life, and nature.
Blue
Depending on the tint and shade of blue, it can represent different
feelings, thoughts, and emotions. In imagery, dark shades of blue can
give a sense of sadness. An expression that goes along with this is
“singing the blues” when someone is sad.
Blue
Light blue is the color of the sky and of water, which can be
refreshing, free, and calm. Blue skies are calming and tranquil. Water
washes away dirt and cleans wounds. Blue can represent freshness
and renewal, such as when rain washes away dirt and dust. The
calmness of blue promotes relaxation.
Purple
Associated from the color of the robes of royalty, purple relates to
royalty. Purples with more red can be associated with romances,
intimacy, softness, and comfort. Purple can give a sense of mystique
as well as luxury. A good example would be the wine website
shown below.
White
White can be associated with sterility, due to doctors wearing white
and most hospitals being white. Because most artistic depictions of
religious figures are completely colorless, white represents “good”
and holiness.
White
White can represent cleanliness, such as clean linens and clean
laundry. It can represent softness due to cotton and clouds. It can
reference mental health due to the white coats and uniforms, white
walls, etc. White is great for connoting health and cleanliness, as
shown in the optical website shown below.
Black
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Black is mostly associated with death, especially in the United States.
It can represent decay — due to rot — based on how food breaks
down and turns black. Black can represent evil, because it is the
opposite of white, which often represents good. It can represent
anxiety due to darkness and the unknown.
Black
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A lot of black in an image can suggest depression and despair, as
well as loneliness. However, despite all of the negative connotations,
when combined with other colors, such as gold, it can represent
luxury. Combined with silver or grey, it can represent sophistication,
such as in the timepiece website shown below.
Food
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Food
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Red is the color most used by fast food chains, followed closely
by yellow and orange.
Yellow and orange are colors that make people feel hungry. The color red is
associated with emotion and passion.
It is essential to understand color as a designer.
Everything that you design should take color into
serious and careful consideration.
The color choices that you make can create a
drastic effect on the mood of your work.
The right combination can gain attention and
convey the right message visually, further
driving the message into your viewers’ minds.
Your colors must reflect
your design’s goal and
brand’s personality.
