Color theory is both the science and art of using

color. It explains how humans perceive color; and

the visual effects of how colors mix, match or
contrast with each other. Color theory also involves
the messages colors communicate; and the
methods used to replicate color.
 So why should you care about color
theory as a designer? Or someday an
entrepreneur? Why can’t you just slap
some red on your packaging and be
done with it? It worked for Coke,
right?
RGB: the additive color mixing model

Color in this mode can be seen on

TVs, screen and projectors.

RGB are mixed together to form

or create other colors.
CMYK: the subtractive color mixing model

Any color in the surface is

considered CMYK
It also known as Primary Colors
Paper, signage, packaging and
more.
 Brief History of Colors in Art

Color has been around since before the big bang. However, the first pigments were created by early artists. The history of color and the
theory of color is a fascinating tale around a concept so routine, we rarely take notice.
Red—or red ochre—has always been one of the most prevalent colors in nature. Its abundance is why
we discovered it in caves. Readily available, red ochre was the choice of primitive artists. Red ochre was
one of the original variations of the pigment used, derived from clay.

Yellow has a very similar history to red. The earliest used yellow pigment was yellow ochre—also
derived from clay and used in prehistoric cave paintings. Yellow’s notoriety in the art of the natural
world came from its brightness in relation to the sun.

Yellow pigment became incredibly popular in ancient Greece and Rome. It grew into shades such as
Naples yellow and lead-tin yellow.

The color orange blossomed when Portuguese merchants began trading oranges. Oranges were unknown to
most of Europe. Since there was no English name for the fruit, the word orange was created for both the fruit
and color.

Of course, the color dates back earlier than the 16th century. However, its use in ancient Egyptian tomb
paintings reflected that of yellowish gold. The bright peel of the orange fruit came later.
Green is another ancient color, although not as ancient as red or yellow. The earliest green pigment included
Earth green and green Malachite. The inventors mixed yellow ochre and blue azurite to create this shade.

In the late 1700s, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish chemist, invented Scheele’s green using the toxic chemical
arsenic. The pigment was beautiful as well as cheap to make. The shade was sensationally popular during the
Victorian era.

The color’s earliest pigment was Tyrian purple. The ancient Phonecian people in Tyre and Sidon produced it.
The pigment came from the mucus of the Murex species of marine mollusks. This dye was both rare and
expensive at the time.

For centuries, only royalty could afford this dye. It became the symbol of monarchies worldwide. The cost of
this new purple dye also limited its use to textiles and art.

Humans developed indigo from a plant known as Indigofera. It became one of the earliest colors to be used
for dyeing textiles. Many historians believe the color originated in India. Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama
found indigo during his discovery of a sea route to the country.

Blue pigment was scarce. Until the ancient Egyptians began producing it using lapis lazuli gemstones. Some
historians argue that blue couldn’t even be seen until its production through gemstones.
 Color Wheel

The real basis for the color wheel

is rooted in Sir Isaac Newton’s
experiments with prisms. His
experiments led to the theory that
red, yellow and blue were the
primary colors from which all
other colors are derived.

You may have learned the term “ROY G BIV” (red,

orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) in
elementary school science class. “ROY G BIV” was the
result of Newton’s discovery.
Moses Harris's 'colour wheel' showing how a range of
colours can be made from red, yellow and blue
One of Goethe’s most controversial statements was his
rebuttal of Newton’s color-spectrum theory. The German
considered that darkness is an active ingredient, as
opposed to the mere absence of light. “Color in itself is a
degree of darkness”, he wrote.
Primary Colors

• Red, Yellow, Blue

• Cannot be mixed from other colors hence

the word primary (first)

• All other colors are made with mixture of

primary colors, black and white
Secondary Colors

• Orange, Green and Violet

• Made from mixing 2 primary colors

• Always located between 2 primary colors

on the wheel
Tertiary Colors

• Red-orange, Yellow-orange, Yellow-green,

Blue-green, Blue-violet, Red-violet

• Created by mixing a primary with its

adjacent secondary (1+2)

• Primary always goes first in labeling. You

may use a dash in between two colors.
 Warm and Cool Colors AKA as color temparature

• 6 Warm colors: Red- • 6 Cool colors: Yellow-

violet, Red, Red-orange, green, Green, Blue-
Orange, Yellow-orange, green, Blue, Blue-violet,
Yellow Violet
Activity
• List (5) products or items that uses primary colors only
• List (3) products or items that uses secondary colors
• List (4) products or items that uses tertiary colors only