Basics of Colour

what is colour?
Color is the perceptual characteristic of light described by a color name. Yellow, blue, green etc. Specifically, color is light, and light is composed of many colors those we see are the colors of the visual spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Objects absorb certain wavelengths and reflect others back to the viewer. We perceive these wavelengths as color. A color is described in three ways: by its name, how pure or de-saturated it is, its value or lightness. pink, crimson, and brick are all variations of the color red. each hue is distinct and differentiated by its chroma, saturation, intensity, and value.

attributes of colour
Hue: When asked to identify the color of an object, youll most likely speak first of its hue. Quite simply, hue is how we perceive an objects color red, orange, green, blue, etc. In other words, which basic colour does it belong to. The color wheel here shows the continuum of color from one hue to the next. As the wheel illustrates, if you were to mix blue and green paints, you would get blue-green. Add yellow to green for yellow-green, and so on.

attributes of colour
Chroma Chroma describes the vividness or dullness of a color - in other words, how close the color is to either gray or the pure hue. For example, think of the appearance of a tomato and a radish. The red of the tomato is vivid, while the radish appear duller.

Vivid

Dull

attributes of colour
lightness / value The luminous intensity of a color - i.e., its degree of lightness - is called its value. Colors can be classified as light or dark when comparing their value. For example, when a tomato and a radish are placed side by side, the red of the tomato appears to be much lighter. In contrast, the Radish has a darker red value.

Light

Dark

primary, secondary and tertiary colours

red, green yellow green, orange and purple yellow-orange red-orange red-purple blue-purple, blue-green yellow-green.

further reading
www.worqx.com www.colormatters.com The Elements of Colour by Johannes Itten Albers, Josef , THE INTERACTION OF COLOR , Yale University. Arnheim, Rudolph, ART AND VISUAL PERCEPTION, University of California Press. Morton, J.L., COLOR LOGIC, Colorcom, 1998

Goethe, J.W., Theory of Colours. 1971.

colour systems

Subtractive Color. When we mix colors using paint, or through the printing process, we are using the subtractive color method.
Subtractive color mixing means that one begins with white and ends with black; as one adds color, the result gets darker and tends to black.

The CMYK color system is the color system used for printing. C = Cyan, M = Magenta, Y = Yellow, K = Black

colour systems
Additive Color. If we
are working on a computer, the colors we see on the screen are created with light using the additive color method. Additive color mixing begins with black and ends with white; as more color is added, the result is lighter and tends to white.

The RGB colors are light primary colours and are created using light. R = Red, G = Green, B = Blue

colour wheel

A color wheel (also referred to as a color circle) is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship. Begin a color wheel by positioning primary hues equidistant from one another, then create a bridge between primaries using secondary and tertiary colors.

colour wheel

primary colours

secondary colours

tertiary colours

analogous and complementary colours

complementary colours

analogous colours

achieving colour harmony

colour scheme based on analogous colours

colour scheme based on complementary colours

some colour combinations

colour and contrast

Every visual presentation involves figure-ground relationships. This relationship between a subject (or figure) and its surrounding field (ground) will evidence a level of contrast; the more an object contrasts with its surrounds, the more visible it becomes.

importance of contrast
It gets the eyes attention immediately It helps read text well Text presentations should ideally offer about 80% contrast.

Ittens color contrasts

Johannes Itten was one of the first people to define and identify strategies for successful color combinations.

He devised seven methodologies for coordinating colors utilizing the hue's contrasting properties. These contrasts add other variations with respect to the intensity of the respective hues; i.e. contrasts may be obtained due to light, moderate, or dark value.

the contrast of saturation

The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values and their relative saturation.

the contrast of light and dark

The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values. This could also be a monochromatic composition.

the contrast of extension or proportion

The contrast is formed by assigning proportional field sizes in relation to the visual weight of a color.

the contrast of complements

The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of color wheel or perceptual opposites.

the simultaneous contrast

The contrast is formed when the boundaries between colors perceptually vibrate. Some interesting illusions are accomplished with this contrast.

the contrast of hue

The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of different hues. The greater the distance between hues on a color wheel, the greater the contrast.

the contrast of warm and cool

The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of hues considered 'warm' or 'cool.'

proportion and intensity

When colors are juxtaposed, our eyes perceive a visual mix. This mix will differ depending on the proportions of allocated areas.
The color with the largest proportional area is the dominant color (the ground). Smaller areas are subdominant colors. Accent colors are those with a small relative area, but offer a contrast because of a variation in hue, intensity, or saturation (the figure). Placing small areas of light color on a dark background, or a small area of dark on a light background will create an accent. If large areas of a light hue are used, the whole area will appear light; conversely, if large areas of dark values are used, the whole area appears dark. Alternating color by intensity rather than proportion will also change the perceived visual mix of color.

proportion and intensity