12 Tone Spectrum Color Palette

RV R

BV

RO

BG

YO
G

YG

Most individuals are not familiar with a scientific color circle. A scientific color circle
equally divides the spectrum into 12 parts. These 12 colors are then adjusted to appear
perceptually equal in intensity within the central hue range. These 12 colors are then
assigned logical color names based on principles of color theory. 6 of the 12 colors are
named according to primary and secondary colors.
Primary colors = Red, Yellow, Blue
Secondary colors = Orange, Green, Violet
The remaining tertiary colors are named as a combination of the two colors on either
side which form them.
Tertiary colors = Red-Orange, Red-Violet, Blue-Violet, Blue-Green, Yellow-Green, YellowOrange
Observe that the tertiary color names all begin with either Red, Yellow, or Blue. This
is because preference is given to primary color names.
Most individuals use common color names in their everyday life such as Purple or
Teal. There is also a common perception of what names correlate with a particular color
being observed. However, common color names and associations are not scientific and do
not express any underlying theory or describe relationships between colors. This is why
scientific color names must be used and understood.
The basic principle of primary colors is that all other colors can be derived from these
three colors. In order for that to be true, these three colors must be exactly equalized in hue
and intensity. The color Red which results from this process is not what most individuals
would call Red. Most individuals would call scientific Red by a color name such as Pink or
Fuscia. The commercial name for scientific Red used for industrial purposes is Magenta.
The industrial name for scientific Blue is Cyan. Scientific Red, Yellow, and Blue can be
found on any color ink cartridge for a printer. This is because printers must use exact colors
in order to achieve true color results.