The post includes a glossary of key colour theory words to assist graphic and UI designers in using colours efficiently to create strong and appealing designs.
Color is one of the foundational elements of design. It may be a strong instrument in the hands of an expert, influencing a variety of aspects that are crucial for a compelling visual perception. Color has a powerful psychological effect on us. It has the ability to transform our feelings towards an object in a matter of seconds, as well as cause individuals to respond and even conduct particular behaviours.
Color science may appear simple at first glance, but once you get into the intricacies, you'll notice that there are numerous anomalies that must be understood. In the article Color Theory: A Quick Guide for Designers, we discussed the fundamentals of the science that can assist designers in their work. Today, we've compiled a simple glossary of colour theory's most important concepts, which will be useful in the future.
COLOR
Before we go any further, it's crucial to understand what colour is all about. It is a phenomena of light (such as red, brown, pink, or grey) or visual perception that allows one to distinguish otherwise identical things, according to Merriam-Webster. Simply put, colour is a property of an object that is caused by the light that is reflected or emitted by it. c colour Color can be visually validated by taking measurements of hue, saturation, chromaticity, and value. Let's define the features of colour to have a better understanding of its meaning.
Color Properties
The term hue is frequently confused with the term colour, hence it needs to be clarified. To begin, we must recognise that “colour” is a broad term that encompasses all hues, tints, and tones. A hue, on the other hand, is exactly what we mean when we ask, "What colour is it?" It's essentially a set of twelve pure and vibrant hues represented on the colour wheel.
A hue is a basic material that can be tinted, shaded, or toned in three different ways. A hue can be tinted, shaded, or toned depending on the technique used.
It's simple to tell them apart. A tint is made by combining a colour and white, whereas a shade is made by combining a hue and black. Toning is a more delicate technique than shades and tints since it requires the addition of both black and white, which is why the results may appear more natural.
Value
As previously said, colours have distinct qualities that enable them to be identified. A color's value is a characteristic that indicates how light or dark it is. The degree of whiteness defines the trait. The higher the value of a hue, the more white has been added to it.
Chromaticity
The purity of a hue is represented by chroma, or chromaticity. The presence of white, grey, or black in a colour is used to determine the feature. Because they don't contain any additional elements, the twelve basic colours listed above have the highest level of chromaticity. Colors with a high chroma value appear powerful and vibrant.
Saturation
Because this property is so similar to value and chroma, it's easy to mix them up. Even so, it's critical to know the distinctions. Saturation does not apply when blending hues with other colours, unlike the two preceding qualities. It has to do with how a hue appears in various lighting situations. Saturation refers to how vibrant or subdued a colour appears in natural light. Saturation refers to how bold or faint a colour appears in both natural and artificial light. Color intensity is another name for this characteristic.
Color Wheel
If you've taken any painting classes, you've probably seen the circle made up of several colours. The colour wheel is a tool that explains how different colours relate to one another and how they might be blended. Primary, secondary, and tertiary colours, often known as hues, are commonly used to construct the colour circle.
The colour circle was invented in a schematic style by Isaac Newton in 1666, and it has gone through numerous alterations since then, but it is still the most important tool for colour pairing. The notion is that the colour wheel must be designed in this manner so that colours can be blended properly.
Color Types
Primary colors
It's a set of three pigment colours that can't be made up of any other colours. The primary colours are the foundation of any system. Depending on the sort of colour system, the primary colours differ. The subtractive system is made up of the colours cyan, magenta, and yellow, whereas the additive system is made up of the colours red, green, and blue. Red, yellow, and blue are included in the RYB painting method.
Secondary colors
These colours are created by mixing two primary colours. Because each system has its own set of basic colours, the secondary colours differ as well. Here's a diagram showing the secondary colours that exist in each system.
RGB:
green+red=yellow
red+blue=magenta
blue+green=cyan
CMYK:
yellow +magenta=red
magenta+cyan=blue
cyan+yellow=green
RYB:
yellow+red=orange
red+blue=purple
blue+yellow= green
Tertiary colors
The tertiary colours are created by mixing primary and secondary hues, and they commonly have two-word names like red-violet or yellow-orange.
Cool, warm and neutral colors
All of the colours we just discussed may be grouped into three categories: cool, warm, and neutral.
Colors on the green-blue side of the colour wheel are considered cool. They're termed cool because they make you feel chilled. Warm colours are the polar opposite of cool colours due to their warm associations. Colors associated with the warm type include yellow, orange, and red. Last but not least, neutral colours such as grey, brown, and beige are not represented on the colour wheel.
Color Systems
RGB
Red, blue, and green are the primary colours of the RGB colour scheme. All colours on the screen are based on this system. The secondary colours cyan, magenta, and yellow are created by mixing primary colours in equal quantities in this system, but keep in mind that the more light you add, the brighter and lighter the colour becomes. For persons accustomed to the subtractive colour system of paints, dyes, inks, and other tangible objects, the results generated by blending additive hues are typically counterintuitive.
RYB
RYB (red, yellow, blue) is a painting colour system that is commonly used in art education, particularly in painting. It laid the groundwork for modern scientific colour theory, which determined that the most efficient combination of three hues is cyan, magenta, and yellow. This is how the CMY colour model came to be.
CMYK
With the development of photomechanical printing, the CMY system has been updated. The system was given the name CMYK after the essential component, which was black ink (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). The closest colour to black would be muddy brown without the use of this pigment. This colour scheme is now primarily employed in printed design.
Color schemes
Color harmony is critical in design because consumers form first impressions of a website or application based on their first glance, and colours have a significant impact. Designers identified the most successful colour schemes, often known as colour harmony.
Monochromatic
It is based on a single colour that comes in a variety of tones and shades. Monochromatic harmony is always a winner because it's difficult to go wrong and create an unappealing colour palette.
Analogous
To achieve comparable harmony, utilise hues on the colour wheel that are immediately adjacent to one other. This colour scheme is utilised in designs where there is little need for contrast, such as the background of web pages or banners.
Complementary
The complimentary scheme is a colour combination that is put on the colour wheel in front of each other. Because it strives to achieve significant contrast, this scheme is the polar opposite of similar and monochrome. In any interface, the orange button on the blue background, for example, is difficult to overlook.
Split-Complementary
This scheme works in the same way as the previous one, but with more colours. For example, if you choose blue, you must also choose two other colours that are next to its opposite colour, such as yellow and red. The contrast isn't as strong as in a complementary scheme, but it allows you to use more colours.
Triadic
When a design requires more colours, a triadic scheme can be used. It's made up of three distinct colours that are equally spaced on the colour wheel. To keep the balance in this design, choose one hue as the dominating and the others as accents.
Tetradic/Double-Complementary
Because it is the most difficult to balance, the tetradic colour scheme is reserved for skilled designers. It uses four complementary pairs of colours from the colour wheel. The rectangle is formed by connecting the points of the chosen colours. The scheme is difficult to synchronise, but if done well, the effects might be amazing.
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