Color Theory and Applications Langara College
Warm colors come forward and cool colors recede
Warm and bright colors give the illusion of being closer to the viewer within a composition, while cool and dull colors appear further away.
Monochromatic Complementary Analogous Triadic Split Complimentary Tetradic
Monochromatic colors Very low contrast Always looks balanced Visually appealing
Complimentary colors provide: Vibrancy Contrast
Analogous colors provide: Harmony Comfort
Triadic colors provide: Vibrancy Energy
Split Compliment colors provide: Contrast Less tension (as complimentary colors)
Tetradic colors Most color variety Most difficult to harmonize
When building color schemes the following are important: (1) Choosing dominant colors (2) Balancing warm and cool hues with by value and chroma (3) Where text is concerned legibility is a major factor
Presenting color dominance in color palettes
1. Subordinate, or base color. This is a visually weak, or subordinate, color. It should contrast or compliment the dominant color..
2. Dominant or main color. This color defines the communicative values of the combination.
3. Accent or highlight color. The accent color can be sympathetic to the subordinate or dominant color, or can be visually strong and striking therefore appearing to compete with the dominant color. This can provide tension within a combination.
Active / Vibrant
Active / Vibrant Active combinations are intense. They feature bright, often complimentary, colors on the color wheel and are combinations of primary, secondary and tertiary colors. To many people, color combinations such as this evoke feelings of noise, flamboyance and energy. It’s a young combination, although there will be cultural differences, aimed at young adults. Many of the hues are not really ‘natural’ colors, but they are more intense tones of the same colors, therefore they could be used for ‘natural’ applications such as the travel industry.
Muted / Calm
Muted / Calm Muted palettes have a lot of white in the hues. This example uses blues and introduces lavender as the dominant color. The resultant color is balanced and calming. Hues in the blue, green and violet areas of the Colour Wheel convey a visual quietness. The Accent is almost always used as sympathetic to the Dominant. Often used in the cosmetics industry, the visual softness of the colors often portrays a feminine quality.
Pastel
Pastel A pastel combination is similar to the Muted combination in that is often based on colors containing a lot of white. Where they differ is that Pastel combinations combine warm and cool tones readily. This combination can portray youth and innocence (babies!) and has a warmth that the Muted combination fails to deliver.
Natural
Natural Natural combinations are those colors which are borrowed from the outdoors palette. Rusty reds, browns, sky blues and warm pinks are the order of the day. The easiest way to create these combinations is to go outside, take a photograph and then choose some colors from that, you really can create some stunning combinations. When you need to communicate rustic charm or the feeling of walking through autumn leaves, then this is the type of combination you’re after.
Rich
Rich Hues of royalty, tradition, often religious and above all; wealth. Rich color combinations are perhaps the combinations that are so engrained in culture. True, the actual colors used may differ, but the overall effect is seen throughout the world. Maroon is often mixed with gold and full shades of green. They can be combined with Natural combinations for a fuller palette.
There are many different ways to present color weight (dominance) and usage in a set of swatches, depending on the amount of colors you are using.
In a broad palette, with many colors, you can display these left to right with dominance and usage being denoted by the size of the square, or block, of color.
For smaller palettes and combinations, you can use the rectangle, or circle containing divided by lines or shapes.
Legibility is directly affected by contrast
Complementary colors such as red and green are not readily legible.
Any combinations of colors of similar value, even without vibrating, will have low visibility.
Colors that have strong contrast in value, and therefore little vibration, provide maximum visibility.
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