COLOUR THEORY- BASIC PRINCIPLES AND UNDERSTANDING
CONTENTS - INTRODUCTION - COLOUR WHEEL -PRIMARY, SECONDARY & TERTIARY - MEMORY COLOURS - HUE, SATURATION & VALUE - RED - ORANGE - YELLOW - GREEN - BLUE - PURPLE
CONTENTS
Colour is the most immediate form of non-verbal communication. Colour engages a natural reaction from us which was engraved from a time when we had to use colour as a indicator about whether we should avoid or consume something. Whilst also being decorative, colour helps us isolate and identify distinctive pieces of information and is a key tool for initial processing. It is vital we get a thorough understanding of colour theory so we can understand colour in a more professional way and facilitate effective communication between designers. This booklet will help the design team for the frozen yogurt brief to have a better understanding of basic colour theory .
COLOUR
RED RED/ORANGE
PURPLE/RED
When looking at colour we have to start from the very basics to get a deeper
PURPLE
ORANGE
understanding. One of the most effective ways of visualising colour and its relationships with other colours is using the colour wheel. Originally created by Isaac Newton, the wheel can be constructed using only a few colours or be a
ORANGE/ YELLOW
BLUE/PURPLE
complex one consisting of many combinations. One of the most useful versions of the wheel is the ‘12-step colour wheel’, containing twelve equidistant pure hues. BLUE
YELLOW
GREEN/BLUE GREEN
COLOUR WHEEL
YELLOW/ GREEN
RED C0 M95 Y92 K0
PRIMARY
GREEN C65 M0 Y100 K0 BLUE C100 M92 Y20 K5
MAGENTA C0 M100 Y0 K0
SECONDARY
CYAN C65 M0 Y100 K0 YELLOW C100 M92 Y20 K5
PURPLE/RED C24 M100 Y52 K20 RED/ORANGE C23 M78 Y76 K14
TERTIARY
ORANGE/YELLOW C15 M 24 Y85 K5 BLUE/PURPLE C88 M82 Y10 K2 GREEN/BLUE C71 M31 Y45 K5 YELLOW/GREEN C55 M15 Y84 K0
PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY
MEMORY COLOURS
WHITE 0/0/0/0
MID GREY 55/40/40/15
DARK BLACK 95/87/87/80
GOLD 5/15/65/0
SILVER 20/15/15/0
FLESH, CAUCASIAN 15/45/50/0
FLESH, ASIAN 15/40/55/0
FLESH, AFRICAN 35/45/50/25
DEEP PURPLE 85/95/10/20
DEEP VIOLET 100/65/10/25
DEEP RED 25/100/80/20
AQUA 60/0/25/0
PINK 5/40/5/0
BEIGE 5/5/15/0
SKY BLUE 60/20/0/0
LEMON YELLOW 5/15/95/0
KELLY GREEN 100/0/100/0
ORANGE RED 10/100/100/0
ORANGE 5/50/100/0
CHOCOLATE BROWN 45/65/100/35
Hue Any given colour
Value How light or dark a colour is
Saturation How much grey is present in a given colour
HUE, VALUE & SATURATION
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split Complementary
Tetradic
Square
Monochromatic
RED C0 M100 Y100 K0 Red is linked with passion, energy and strength in the field of psychology. It
Scarlet Red C17 M100 Y75 K8 Exciting, aggressive, dramatic, dynamic
evokes the taste buds and is thought to stimulate flavour. Red is used in the industry to draw attention to a particular product and is able to excite potential customers. Red is a colour which the eye picks up first. Dark reds are linked with luxury ,whereas lighter reds can often be considered cheaper.
Brick Red C18 M87 Y100 K9 Secure, natural, strong
Warm Red C8 M85 Y100 K2 Seductive, arousing, sultry
Burgundy C17 M100 Y75 K8 Opulent, wealthy, intense and grand
RED
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split Complementary
Tetradic
Square
Monochromatic
Gold C14 M28 Y100 K2 Wealth, extravagance, excess, luck, tradition
Peach C14 M28 Y40 K0 Healthy, soft, gentle, tactile, velvety
ORANGE C0 M60 Y95 K0 Orange is a love or hate colour. Orange is vibrant, orange is juicy and orange is healthy. Orange is used to alert- in America prison suits are orange and here in the UK we use orange for road-traffic cones. Darker oranges are thought to
Orange fruit C0 M60 Y90 K0 Fun, glowing, vital
have a luxurious feel whilst lighter versions are considered soothing and healthy.
Terracotta C0 M30 Y55 K0 Spicy, warm, ethnic, wholesome
ORANGE
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split Complementary
Tetradic
Square
Monochromatic
YELLOW C0 M0 Y100 K0 Yellow is known to be a happy, up-lifting and joyful colour. It is often used in
Bright yellow C8 M0 Y80 K0 Hopeful, cheery, cowardly, deceltful
cheap, cheerful products and items aimed at a younger target audience. Yellow is warm and relates to sunshine and summer. Yellow is also known to evoke the taste buds and so is used a lot in food packaging.
Light yellow C8 M0 Y50 K0 Inspiring, warm, calming, hazy, summery
Golden yellow C15 M15 Y100 K2 Sunny, autumnal, baked
Green yellow C23 M0 Y75 K0 Citrus, acidic, frulty, tangy, sharp
YELLOW
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split Complementary
Tetradic
Square
Monochromatic
Dark green C100 M35 Y100 K30 Natural, organic, plentiful, luscious
Lime C35 M0 Y95 K0 Acidic, tart, refreshing, juicy, zestful
GREEN C65 M100 Y0 K0 Green is linked with the Eco/health movement. Green is a colour of balance and harmony of the mind. In psychology, it is linked with security and health. Dark greens are typically linked with luxury and wealth, whereas lighter greens tend
Khaki C17 M15 Y100 K0 Uniform, camouflage, military, resourceful
to be used in health food products. It can also be thought of as sickly if used wrongly.
Olive green C75 M0 Y100 K0 Classic, drab, muddy, durable
GREEN
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split Complementary
Tetradic
Square
Monochromatic
BLUE C95 M75 Y0 K0 Blue is a cool tone. In psychology, it is linked with trust and honesty. Normally
Turquoise C85 M35 Y25 K5 Healing, spiritual, mystical, exhilarating
the darker the blue the more professional looking the product. It can be known to make the consumer relax. However, it can be unsettling if used incorrectly. Blue is linked with hydration and liquid - cool blue tones tend not to stimulate the appetite .
Aqua C85 M25 Y45 K5 Fluid, refreshing, cleansing, energizing
Royal Blue C95 M75 Y0 K0 Committed, dramatic, professional, vibrant
Sky blue C40 0 Y0 K0 Relaxing, happy, trustworthy, childhood
BLUE
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split Complementary
Tetradic
Square
Monochromatic
Royal purple C85 M95 Y0 K0 Majestic, expensive, regal
Plum C55 M100 Y15 K15 Full-bodied, plump, sophisticated, unique
PURPLE C85 M100 Y0 K0 Purple is a mix of the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is a luxurious colour and is strongly linked with wealth and royalty. It also is matched with tmagic/mystery. Bright purples can be childish an also represent femininity. Light
Violet C75 M85 Y0 K0 Mysterious, fantasy, spiritual, floral
purples evoke romantic and nostalgic feelings whereas dark purples represent knowledge, integrity and power.
Vivid pink/ fuchsia C0 M100 Y0 K0 Passionate, flamboyant, attention grabbing
PURPLE
COLOUR THEORY- fin