Color. Color is a key element in everyday life and design. It can be used as a tool to attract your attention, create a mood or evoke an emotion.
How can we tell which colors work well together? Answer: color theory. Color theory has been used by artists and designers for centuries. Anyone can learn it. This can give you confidence in many situations. It only takes a few insights to change the way you look at colors. We’ll start with the basics. Do you remember when you were in school and learned about the primary colors? You already know some color theory. If you know color theory, then you already have some knowledge. We can get more shades of in-between colors by mixing these colors, like yellow-green and red-orange. Together, these colors form a wheel of color. It’s easy to see how it got its name.
Now let’s move on to hue, value and saturation. These terms, which you may not have heard in the past, are key to understanding subtler shades of color. The easiest is hue, which is just another way to say “color”. Saturation refers more to the intensity of the color. Value describes how light or dark a color is. It can range from white to black. As you can tell, there are many shades of color, from a reddish brown…to light pastel pink. How can we use this information to create a professional color scheme? Color harmony is a tried and tested formula that can be used. You just need the colorwheel. Monochromatic formulas are the easiest because they only use one color. Use your knowledge of value and saturation to create variations. Monochromatic schemes will always match.
Use colors that are adjacent on the wheel. Reds and Oranges… or cool colors, such as blues and Greens. You can create your unique color scheme by experimenting with different colors. These formulas are really just starting points that can inspire and guide you. On the color wheel, complementary colors are placed opposite to each other. For instance, red and blue… or classic red and yellow. If you want to avoid using too simple complementary color schemes, introduce some variation by adding lighter, darker, and desaturated colors. Split-complementary schemes combine colors that are on either side. The same contrast is achieved, but there are more options to choose from (and perhaps more interesting outcomes). Triadic color schemes are made of three evenly-spaced colors that form a triangle. These combinations are striking, especially when used with primary and secondary colors.
Tetradic color schemes are formed by using two complementary colors, not just one. This formula is best when you use one dominant color and the other colors as accents. When it comes to colors, there are some classic do’s & don’ts. Have you ever noticed that colors vibrate when placed together? There’s an easy way to achieve this. Try adjusting the saturation, brightness, or lightness of one color. Color palettes can benefit from a small amount of contrast. Any design should be readable. It is important that your colors are easy to see and legible. Using color in all details is not always possible. Neutral colours like gray, black and white will help balance your design. This way, when you add color, you can make it stand out. Each color has a specific message. Color palettes should be chosen according to the project’s tone. Bright colors are often associated with a more fun, modern look. Desaturated colours often look more professional. You’d be amazed at how color can change depending on the situation.
Color schemes can be found in a variety of places, including advertising, branding and famous artworks. Even if you don’t have a computer, there are online resources that allow you to create or browse color palettes. Even the best designers are inspired by what they see. Making something unique is not a bad thing. Color is everywhere. It’s intimidating at first, but not impossible. You can experiment with color theory and use what you know. Soon, selecting great-looking colours will become second nature.
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