Colour Theory. Colour Theory is a system of rules and guidance for mixing various colours in order to: Produce Maximum Readability and Clarity

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Colour Theory. Colour Theory is a system of rules and guidance for mixing various colours in order to: Produce Maximum Readability and Clarity"

Vernon West
6 years ago
Views:

2 Colour Theory

3 Colour Theory Colour Theory is a system of rules and guidance for mixing various colours in order to: Create Aesthetically Pleaasing Blends Produce Maximum Readability and Clarity Draw on Cultural Associations to Effect Meaning

4 Why Learn Colour Theory? Many people choose not to consult colour theory. They think, Well, I ve got a good eye for these things. The good eye for colour may or may not be true based on who s thinking it but in order to justify your choices it is good to have some theory to fall back on. Otherwise, all you can say is, It just looks right!

5 The Foundation of colour At its core, colour is light. Light is composed of many different colours and the various mixtures of light compose the colours that we can see. colours that can not be created by mixing other colours are called: PRIMARY colours

6 Primary colours

16 One of the best tools for visualizing colour relationships is the colour wheel. This wheel, originally developed by Sir Isaac Newton, can be constructed with just a few colours, or can be quite complex incorporating many color variations. Perhaps the most useful version is the twelvestep color wheel containing twelve equidistant pure hues.

19 The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic colors go well together, producing a soothing effect. The monochromatic scheme is very easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues. You can use it to establish an overall mood. Pros: Cons: Tips: The monochromatic scheme is easy to manage, and always looks balanced. This scheme lacks color contrast. It is not as vibrant as the complementary scheme. 1. Use tints, shades, and tones of the key color to enhance the scheme. 2. Try the analogous scheme; it offers more nuances while retaining the simplicity and elegance of the monochromatic scheme.

20 The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color while others are used to enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme is similar to the monochromatic one, but offers more nuances. Pros: Cons: Tips: The analogous color scheme is as easy to create as the monochromatic, but looks richer. The analogous color scheme lacks color contrast. It is not as vibrant as the complementary scheme. 1. Avoid using too many hues because this may ruin the harmony. 2. Avoid combining warm and cool colors in this scheme.

21 The complementary color scheme is made of two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you put a warm color against a cool color, for example, red versus green-blue. The complementary scheme is intrinsically high-contrast. Pros: color The complementary color scheme offers stronger contrast than any other scheme, and draws maximum attention. Cons: This scheme is harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous schemes, especially when desaturated warm colors are used Tips: orange. 1. For best results, place cool colors against warm ones, eg, blue versus 2. If you use a warm color (red or yellow) as an accent, you can desaturate the opposite cool colors to put more emphasis on the warm colors. 3. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows).

22 The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme. Pros: The split complementary scheme offers more nuances than the complementary scheme while retaining strong visual contrast. Cons: and The split complementary scheme is harder to balance than monochromatic analogous color schemes. Tips: 1. Use a single warm color against a range of cool colors to put an emphasis on the warm color (red versus blues and blue-greens). 2. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows), because this may ruin the scheme.

23 The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. This scheme is popular among artists because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious. Pros: Cons: scheme. Tips: The triadic color scheme offers high contrast while retaining harmony. The triadic color scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary 1. Choose one color to be used in larger amounts than others. 2. If the colors look gaudy, try to subdue them.

The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all the schemes because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs.

24 The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all the schemes because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors. Pros: The tetradic scheme offers more color variety than any other scheme. Cons: Tips: This scheme is the hardest scheme to balance. 1. If the scheme looks unbalanced, try to subdue one or more colors. 2. Avoid using pure colors in equal amounts.

50 Contrast with Text The more a colour contrasts with the colours around it, the more easily visible that colour will appear. This fact is extremely important when using different coloured texts and backgrounds. This is why black text on a white background is so popular and effective. There s a high degree of contrast. On the other hand, blue and black offer little contrast. An extended read of this combination could be painful.

51 Contrast with Text But be careful, even though colours may contrast they may not always work well for text and background pairing. Simultaneous Contrast occurs when a colour like red is fore grounded on blue. Note how the text appears to slightly vibrate. This would get annoying real quick. But simultaneously be aware of extreme lack of contrast in your text and background choices. Honestly, this is just painful. Do not make your readers struggle with this!

52 Rhetorical colour Contrast Contrast draws attention to the item that is most contrasting (or different) among a number of other design elements. Therefore, you can use colour contrast to draw attention to an element of your design that is more important, relevant, or immediately pressing.

53 Practical Example Neither of these flyers is completely ineffective and both provide shape contrast with the text box. But the orange box above provides a nice contrast with the blues and grays of the clothes rack. The blue box here, however, is too similar to the clothes colour palette.

54 Colour and Cultural Association Colour s often come with feelings, moods, and associations that you can draw from in your work. For example, the colour Red is largely associated with danger, aggression, stimulation, and excitement. Red stop signs signify danger if you don t stop, and stimulates the senses with excitement less you don t see one coming up!

55 Colour and Cultural Association It s an important to remember that these colour associations do not come from the colour itself. Without us to interpret it, red is simply light and doesn t need an interpretive characteristic. Because these associations depend on us, they can differ from culture to culture, and they can also change over time. For example.

56 Colour and Cultural Association

57 Colour and Cultural Association

58 Colour and Association

59 Colour and Association

60 Colour and Association

61 Thank you

Color Theory Visual Art Academy Copyright 2017

Color Theory Visual Art Academy Copyright 2017 Color Theory The Color Wheel An illustrative organization of color hues around a circle Primary Colors Red, Yellow and Blue. Colors can not be made by mixing any other colors. Triad - a color triad is