Color Theory

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Know some basic concepts about color theory.

Terminology

  • Hue: Newton divided colors into seven basic hues, each produced by a single wavelength – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
  • Saturation/Chroma: It's the purity of a hue. Ranges from pure color (100%) to gray (0%)
  • Value: Is synonymous with intensity, and refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It can be measured in a scale from 0 to 100%, where 0 is white and 100 is black. Highly saturated colors always have the medium value.

Color Intensity

Changes when tints, tones or shades are added.

  • Tint: a hue + white. The color is lightened and less intense.
  • Tone: a hue + grey. The color is neutralized.
  • Shade: a hue + black. The color is darkened and less intense.

Color Temperature

  • Cool colors: make the object receed. Green and Blue are cool colors.
  • Warm colors: brings the object forward. Red and Yellow are warm colors.

The Color Wheel


Primary Colors

We've been taught at school about the color wheel made with colors that cannot be obtained by mixing other color. These are the primary colors:

  • Yellow
  • Blue
  • Red

Secondary Colors

When mixing two primary colors, then we get the secondary colors:

  • Yellow + Blue = Green
  • Yellow + Red= Orange
  • Blue + Red = Violet

Tertiary Colors

The tertiary colors are obtained when mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color:

  • Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange
  • Orange + Magenta = Red-Orange
  • Magenta + Violet = Red-Violet
  • Violet + Cyan = Blue-Violet
  • Cyan + Green = Blue-Green
  • Green + Yellow = Yellow-Green


Producing Color: Additive vs Subtractive

Basically, there two methods of producing color: additive and subtractive.

The additive color mode is primarily used when shades of light are used to create colors, while the subtractive mode is used when white light, such as sunlight, reflects off an object.

Additive Color (RGB)

Additive colors begin as black and become white as more red (R), blue (B), or green (G) light is added. 

These three primary colors of the RGB model are usually on a scale of 0-255. The RGB color model should be used for digital graphic designs projects, since the computer monitors emit light that is colored by the RGB spectrum.
 
Visible light of the electromagnetic spectrum, according to the wavelength of the light.

In RGB:
Red + Green = Yellow
Green + Blue = Cyan
Blue + Red = Magenta

Subtractive Color (CMYK)

Subtractive colors are created by completely or partially absorbing (or subtracting) some light wavelengths and reflecting others.

Subtractive colors begin as white. As you add filters to the white light, such as ink, this white light takes on the appearance of the color.

It uses specific versions of the color wheel: Cyan (C), Magenta (M) and Yellow(Y). The inkjet printers print such vivid pictures using the colors of this color wheel, plus Black (it's the key K). The CMYK color model should be used for printing the design project.

Color Harmonies

There are six color harmonies commonly used in design:

  • Complementary: colors located opposite to each other on the color wheel. It creates high contrast, to draw attention to your focal point. This contrast is especially high when the colors are used at their full saturation. If you find the contrast too strong, shade (add black) or tint (add white) to your colors to make them feel more muted and less aggressive
  • Split Complementary: this variation uses one base color and the two colors adjacent to the directly opposing color on the color wheel. This is less aggressive, but still makes an impact. Still offers contrast like a standard complementary color scheme, but it creates less tension by using colors analogous to the true contrasting hue
  • Analogous: colors located next to each other on the color wheel. This low-contrast combination is calm and often found in nature. Create balance in your design by choosing one base color and using two or three analogous colors as accent shades, and try to stick to using only warm or only cool colors. Use shades and tints to add more visual interest.
  • Triadic: uses three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel. Are often vibrant. To help keep your design balanced, let one color dominate and use the others as accent colors. Tints and shades can help create a sense of calm and tranquility.
  • Tetradic: there are two types of tetradic harmonies: rectangular and square. These harmonies use four colors arranged in two complementary pairs. Tend to be very eye-catching. The best way to use is to let one color dominate and reserve the three remaining colors for accents or secondary elements.
  • Monochromatic: uses a single color shaded or tinted to various values by adding black or white. To create a calm and serene design.

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