GEI006 – Visual Graphics Design

Primaries (inner triangle)

Secondary (out triangles)
Tertiaries are located between the Primaries and
Secondaries on the wheel.
• So, now that you know how colors are made, you can understand how the
color combinations on the color wheel model work
• Understanding the principles of color combinations will help you to choose
combinations that work well together, set the right mood, and create the
right amount of contrast within your design work.
• relative lightness and
darkness of a color
• Tint
• Tone
• Shade
• A tint of a color is
when you take a
color, such as red in
the example and add
white to it.
• A shade is a hue that has black
added to it. You can create
aonochromatic/unified color
scheme buy using tints and
shades of the same hue.
• A tone is a hue that has gray
added to it.
• Intensity (also referred to as saturation or chroma) refers to the degree of
purity of a color.
• A highly intense color is bright and a low-intensity color is more neutral or
muted.
• Colors are at their purist when they are straight out of the tube, not mixed
with another color.
• As soon as you mix in another color, you have lowered the intensity of both
colors mixed.
• The intensity of the color will decline as more colors are mixed.
• The primary colors are the usually the most intense.
• Mixing opposite colors will make a color more dull.
• High intensity colors are used to maximize impact and are best used
when combined with low-intensity colors
• Color temperature is the heat a color generates, physically and
psychologically
• Usually divided into Warm colors and Cool colors.
• Warm Colors – Red-Violet, Red, Orange, Yellow
• Cool Colors –Green, Blue, Purple
• Value – relative lightness and darkness of a color
• Warm colors create a sense of warmth and heat in an image or a design.
• When you see warm colors, you think of the sun, heat, fire, and love
(passion).
• Red is the color of blood, which is warm, and orange and yellow go along
with summer.
• Adding an orange photo filter to an image instantly makes it look warmer
and happier.
• Cool colors carry connotations of cool climates, winter, death, sadness,
ice, night, and water.
• Cool colors can be associated with calmness, tranquility, trust,
cleanliness.
• Purple is associated with royalty, because they are supposed to be
reserved.
• Harmony can be defined as a
pleasing arrangement of parts,
whether it be music, poetry, color,
or even an ice cream sundae.
• In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye.
• It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in
the visual experience.
• When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic.
• At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is
not engaged.
• The human brain will reject under-stimulating information.
• At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so
chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it.
• The human brain rejects what it cannot organize, what it cannot
understand.
• The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony
delivers visual interest and a sense of order.
• Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to
be complementary colors (example: red and green).
• The high contrast of complementary colors creates a vibrant look
especially when used at full saturation. This color scheme must be
managed well so it is not jarring.
• Complementary colors are tricky to use in large doses, but work well when
you want something to stand out.
• Complementary colors are really bad for text.
• Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the
color wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable
designs.
• Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious
and pleasing to the eye.
• Make sure you have enough contrast when choosing an analogous color
scheme.
• Choose one color to dominate, a second to support. The third color is used (along
with black, white or gray) as an accent.
• A triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color
wheel.
• Triadic color harmonies tend to be quite vibrant, even if you use pale or
unsaturated versions of your hues.
• To use a triadic harmony successfully, the colors should be carefully
balanced - let one color dominate and use the two others for accent.
• The split-complementary color scheme is a variation of the complementary
color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors
adjacent to its complement.
• This color scheme has the same strong visual contrast as the
complementary color scheme, but has less tension.
• The split-complimentary color scheme is often a good choice for
beginners, because it is difficult to mess up.
• The rectangle or tetradic color scheme uses four colors arranged into two
complementary pairs.
• This rich color scheme offers plenty of possibilities for variation.
• The tetradic color scheme works best if you let one color be dominant.
• You should also pay attention to the balance between warm and cool
colors in your design.
• The square color scheme is similar to the rectangle, but with all four
colors spaced evenly around the color circle.
• The square color scheme works best if you let one color be dominant.
• You should also pay attention to the balance between warm and cool
colors in your design.
• Itten’s color contrast. https://worqx.com/color/itten.htm
• Basic Color Theory. https://www.colormatters.com/color-and-
design/basic-color-theory
• Understanding Color: Intensity https://charlenecollinsfreeman.com/blog-
montauk/2018/12/12/understanding-color-intensity
• Color harmonies. https://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-
harmonies.htm