The

Psychology
of Colour

The How and Why of Colour

Colour Attributes
• There are literally millions of
colours, but they can be divided
into just a few colour families.

• And every colour can be described

in terms of having three main
attributes: hue, saturation and
brightness.
Hue
• Any pure colour is referred to as a
hue.

• Hue is identified as the colour family

or colour name (such as red, green,
purple).

• Hue is directly linked to the colour's

wavelength.
Saturation
• Saturation, also called “chroma,” is a
measure of the purity of a colour or how
sharp or dull the colour appears.

• Saturation is the relative brilliance or

vibrancy of a colour. The more saturated a
colour, the less black it contains.
Brightness
• Brightness, also called “luminance” or
“value,” is the shade (darkness) or tint
(lightness) of a colour.

• Areas of an evenly coloured object in

direct light have higher brightness
than areas in shadow.
Tint vs. Shade
•A hue is a specific
colour; red, green, blue.
•A tint of a colour is
made by adding white.
•A shade is made by
adding black.
Color Wheel
•Invented by Sir Isaac
Newton.

•A tool for understanding

colour relationships and
creating harmonious Colour Triangle
colour schemes.

•The colour wheel is

divided into three
categories: primary,
secondary, and tertiary.
Colour Wheel
• Primary colours are those
that cannot be created by
mixing other colours
together.
• Secondary colours are
those that are created by
mixing two primary
colours.
• Tertiary colours are those
that are created by mixing
a primary and secondary
colour together. For this
reason they have two- Colour Triangle
word names.
Example: blue-green,
yellow-orange, etc.
Warm vs. Cool Colours

Warm colours appear larger

than cool colours.
Cool colours
• Cool colours range from blue to violet, the half
of the colour wheel with shorter wave lengths.
• Have a calming effect.
• Frequently used for backgrounds to set off
smaller areas of warm colours.
• Used together, cool colours can look clean
and crisp, implying status and calm.
• Bright cool colours generates more
excitement than light, medium or dark cool
colours.
Warm Colours
• Warm colours range from red
to yellow.
• On the half of the colour
wheel corresponding
to the longer wave lengths.
• Warm colours are active,
attention-grabbing and aggressive.
• They stimulate emotions, motivate
and seem to come forward off the
screen or page.
Colour Schemes
• Selecting colour combinations may
be based on several traditional colour
schemes. These are:
– Compliments
– Monochromatic
– Neutral
– Analogous
– Low Intensity
– Split Compliments
– Double Compliments
Complementary Colours
• Any two colours whose light
together produces white are
called complementary colours.
• Complementary colours in
an image are pleasing to the
eye. The colours seem to
belong together.
• The most effective use of
complements is to let one of
them dominate by giving it a
bigger area or a fuller
saturation, while using the
other as an accent.
Complementary Colours
• Complementary colours lie opposite
each other on the colour wheel.
They complete or
enhance each other.
• When a pair of high
intensity complements
are placed side
by side, they seem to
vibrate and draw
attention to the
element.
• If the hues are of
low-intensity,
the contrast is not
too harsh.
Complementary Colours
• Intensity can only be altered by
mixing a colour with its
complement, which has the
effect of visually neutralizing
the colour.
• Changing the values of the
hues, adding black or white,
will soften the effect.
Monochromatic Schemes
• A monochromatic colour scheme
uses only one hue (colour) and all
values (shades or tints) of it for a
unifying and harmonious effect.
• You can change the value of a
colour by adding black (shade), or
white (tint), or gray (tone).
• As white is added to a colour it
becomes “higher” in value
(lighter).
• As black is added it becomes
“lower” in value (darker).
Monochromatic Colours
• Value is the relationship of
light to dark.
• Values that are close together
give the design a calm
appearance.
• Values of pure hues as
well as those of tints
and shades
create movement.
• Value contrasts show texture
and provide an effective
means of directing viewer
attention in a composition.
Neutral colours
• Contains equal parts of three
primary colours - black, white,
gray, and sometimes brown.
• When neutrals are added to a
colour, only the value
changes.
• If you try to make a
colour darker by adding
a darker colour to it, the
color (hue) changes.
• Black and white are thought
of as neutrals because they
do not change colour.
Analogous Colours
• Colours that contain a Analogous Colours
common hue and are
found next to each other
on the color wheel. 
• Adjoining colours on the
wheel are similar and
tend to blend together.
• They are effective
at showing
depth.
Analogous Colours
• Analogous colour can be
used to create subtle
differences in an image
or design by creating a
peaceful and more
harmonious feeling.
Intensity
• Intensity is the Brightness
or dullness of a colour.
• A pure hue is a high-
intensity colour.
• A dulled hue, a colour
mixed with its
complement, is called a
low-intensity colour.
Triads
•A colour triad is composed
of three colours spaced an
equal distance apart on the
colour wheel.
•The contrast between triad
colours is not as strong as
that between complements.
 Triad - Primary Colours
• Primary Colour are rarely seen as a trio except in
children’s products.
• Red and yellow, are
popular in the USA
for everything
from fast food
to gas stations.

• Blue and red are also

common, but are
attractive only when
separated by space.
Triad - Secondary
• Colours created by
mixing two primary
colours to create a
secondary colour.

• Red + yellow =orange

• Yellow + blue = green

• Blue + red = purple

(violet)
Intermediate Triads
• Colours are created
by mixing a primary
and a secondary

• Examples:
red-orange
yellow-orange
yellow-green
blue-green
blue-purple
red-purple
Split Complements
• The combination of
one hue, plus the
hues on each side of
its complement.
• Easier to work with
than a straight
complementary
scheme because it
offers more variety.
Example: red-orange,
blue, and green.
Double
Complements
•Two hues and their opposites.
•Four colours arranged into
two complementary colour
pairs.
•Scheme is hard to
harmonize.
•If all four colours are used in
equal amounts, the scheme
may look unbalanced.
•Choose a colour to be
dominant or subdue the
colours.
 Compositional Effects of Colour:
Spatial effects

• Hues that are lighter at maximum

saturation (yellows, oranges) appear
larger than those that are darker at
maximum saturation (e.g., blues and
purples).
• Warm colors appear closer and cool
colours fall back.
Compositional Effects of Colour
• A large shape or form
appears to be heavier than
a small shape. Several
small shapes or forms can
balance one large one.
• An object with a
complicated contour is
more interesting and
appears to be heavier,
than one with a simple
contour. A small complex
object can balance a large,
simple object.
Compositional Effects of Colour
•Use highly saturated or high-
intensity colours (a pure hue
with no other colours mixed
in) or busily detailed areas to
draw attention.

•Highly saturated colors give the

appearance of carrying more
weight than less saturated,
low-intensity or visually
simpler areas.
How Colours Effect Each
Other
• Placing colours next to each other effect how we see
colors and is a complex part of colour theory.
• Red appears more brilliant against black.
• Red is somewhat duller against the white.
• Next orange, red appears lifeless.
• In contrast with blue-green, red exhibits brilliance.
• The red square appears larger on black than on
other background colors.
How Colours Effect Each
Other
• The colour of the surrounding colour can affect how
the colour looks.
• The block in the center of the examples below are
the same, only the background colour has changed.
• Colour is partially defined in our brain by the
colours surrounding it.