A Hue pertains to the dominant Color Family of the specific color we’re looking at. White, Black and Grey are never referred to as a Hue.
Colour Psychology: What Colors Are More Attractive for App Development
Color winnows humanity’s perception regarding the world and alters their relationships with their surroundings. Colours have an enhanced effect on human perception, preference, and psychology throughout their lifespan. The preferences about color can be observed in infants as young as three months old, and typically change with age.
A few responses to color are innate, and some are learned from nature or culture. It has been long observed that cool hues acts as relaxants, and they are generally preferred over their more arousing warm counterparts.
Colours, though subtle, are pervasively influential element in graphic design. It penetrates graphic representations in packaging, advertising, and branding. Even the most infinitesimal variations in color can enhance or devastate the design effectiveness and
have conclusive economic implications for companies and products.
The relationship between humans and colours has been around for eons and evolution has embedded it so deep into human subconscious that its dormant yet active hypnotic potential makes it a worthy asset for any visual communicator.
The Colour Theory
Color theory can be termed as both the science and art of using color in the right way. Colour theory helps in determining how humans perceive color; and the visual effects of how colors mix, match or contrast with each other. The theory also involves the messages colors communicate; and the methods used to replicate color.
Let us understand this very basic first.
In color theory, you will find that the colors are organized on a color wheel and are grouped into 3 most fundamental categories: primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors.
Color theory helps entrepreneurs build a strong brand. There is reason behind the Coke choosing red! And this colour theory will help you get more sales and return on investment. A major part of your branding should be focused on colour.
Even if that bright red tin-can is sitting on the rack facing backwards or lying in the corner of the road crushed entirely with no logo visible, you still know its Coke. Just by perceiving the colour, your mind knew already. How? A very large portion of the company’s success goes to the colours they chose for their branding.
The Colour Wheel
It is said that the first color wheel was designed by Sir Isaac Newton back in 1666. Artists and designers still use it to develop color harmonies, mixing and palettes.
A color wheel or color circle can be termed as abstract illustrative organization of color hues around a circle, depicting the relationships between primary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors etc.
The color wheel has three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colors (colors created when primary colors are mixed: green, orange, purple) and six tertiary colors (colors made from primary and secondary colors, such as blue-green or red-violet).
When you cut this circle from the centre or draw a line in between, you will get the difference between cool colours and warm colours, which we discussed in the beginning of this article.
Color
The ideas expressed here are based on the teachings of Johannes Itten from the Bauhaus in the 1920’s. His book, The Art of Color, is still the clearest and most logical guide to color theory. (1a).
Twelve part color wheel
Primary Colors
Red Yellow and Blue are the three primary colors. From them all other colors can be mixed. The primary colors can not be mixed from any other colors. These three hues are the foundation of all color theory
Secondary Colors
Orange, Green and Violet are the three secondary colors. They fall between each of the primaries. Each one is mixed from the two primaries either side of it.
Tertiary Colors
Tertiary colors fall between any primary color and it’s adjacent secondary. eg. Blue/Green falls between Blue and Green. Tertiary colors are mixed from only two Primaries.
Compound Colors
Compound colors are mixed from all three primaries. They are all the Browns, earth colors Khaki’s etc. In this example mixing between yellow and Violet produces a series of compound colors. They contain varying mixtures of all three primaries (Violet being a mixture of Red and Blue).
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors are colors directly opposite one another on the color wheel. Maximum color contrast exists between complementary colors
Saturated Colors
Saturated colors are all the Hues around the outside of the color wheel. They are either primary, secondary or tertiary colors. They contain no more than two primaries and no black or white.
Tints and Shades
A tint is any color mixed with white.
A shade is any color mixed with black.
Tints and Shades
All Colors
If we make a color wheel and fill in all the compound colors, then make a series of tints of all those colors above the wheel and a series of shades of all those colors below the wheel, we will have produced a cylinder containing all possible colors.
Color Theory Note
For clarity there is a linear division between all colors in these illustrations. Theroetically, they should grade seamlessly into one another.
A color wheel made from a compressed range of compound colors, even though all the saturated hues are missing, will still satisfy us that there is a full range of colors. The color wheel below, made from colored river stones, while missing saturated colors, still appears to have a full range of colors.
River stone color wheel
Color Definitions
Hue – the descriptive name of the color. eg. Red, Green, Orange, Pink are all Hues.
Primary Color – Red, Yellow and Blue, the only three pigments that cant be mixed from other pigments. These are the basis of all other colors.
Secondary Color – Orange, Green and Violet – Three colors falling half way between each or the primaries and containing a mixture of only two primaries.
Tertiary Color – a color between each primary and its adjacent secondary eg. Red/Orange between Red and Orange.
Saturated Color – a color containing no more than two primaries and no black or white.
Compound Color – a color containing a mixture of the three primaries eg. brown, khaki, yellow ochre, Burnt Sienna.
Complementary Color – opposite colors on the color wheel. eg. Red/Green, Yellow/Violet
Harmonious Color – adjacent colors on the color wheel eg. Yellow/ Green, Green and Blue/Green.
Analogous Colors – Colors beside each other on the color wheel.
Value or Tone – The lightness or darkness of a color eg. Yellow is a high value (or light tone) color. Violet is a low value (or dark tone) color.
Shade – any color with black added.
Tint – any color with white added.
Color Application
The human eye is believed to be able to distinguish 10 million different colors (1). The task of arranging a selection of these colors in satisfactory manner might seem a little daunting if it weren’t for a number of helpful guidlines.
Analogous Colors (Harmonious)
Analogous colors are those located beside one another around a color wheel. They can come from the saturated outer ring or a compound inner ring of the color wheel.
Analogous Color Harmony – John Lovett, Mozart to The Beastie Boys, 1998
Complementary Colors (Contrasting)
The simplest contrasting color arrangement comes from using a pair of complementary colors. As in any color arrangement, allowing one color (or color temperature) to dominate will give a more pleasing result.
Complementary Color Contrast
Color Triads
Color Triads are a slightly more complicated way to select a harmonious arrangement. The simplest way to think of a triad is to imagine two complementaries, then replace one of these with the two colors either side of it.
Allowing either the cool or the warm colors to dominate will result in a less confusing design.
Paul Cezanne, Boy in a Red Vest 1888 – 1890 – 65.7cm x 54.7cm
Color Ripple Effect
The strange shimmering effect of placing together complimentary colors of the same tonal value, is a technique used to animate an area of a painting or design. For the effect to work the tones must be identical.
Complimentary Colors of the same tonal value
The color ripple effect can be seen in the painting below, drawing attention to the focal point and adding a chaotic confusion to the chickens head.
“Chook” Mixed Media on 300gsm paper © John Lovett 2011
Roy Lichenstein comments that: “Color is crucial in painting, but it is very hard to talk about. There is almost nothing you can say that holds up as a generalization, because it depends on too many factors: size, modulation, the rest of the field, a certain consistency that color has with forms, and the statement you’re trying to make.”(2)
So, although we think of colors as independent, isolated entities, we can see their effect is greatly modified by numerous other factors. Always consider color in relation to surrounding colors.
Consider the intent of the design or artwork – the colors chosen for Corporate branding will be influenced by the type of business. Law firms, solicitors and accountants are more suited to darker, subdued color arrangements that would be out of place with an ice cream or confectionary company. Doctors, dentists and health services require cool, clean and clinical color arrangements as opposed to the earthy compound colors that would suit a logging company.
After Color
Also known as Simultaneous Contrast. “Its effect is derived from the law of complementary colors, according to which each pure color physiologically demands its opposite color – its complement. If the color is absent, the eye will produce it simultaneously”. (3)
This effect can be seen in the illustration below. Stare at the colored flag for 30 second then immediately fix your eyes on an area of white screen. The after image of the flag will appear in its correct colors.
Simultaneous Contrast
This same effect influences neighbouring colors in a design or painting. In the illustration below the small grey rectangles in the center of each colored square are an identical grey but, because of simultaneous contrast, they appear to lean towards the complimentary of the surrounding color.
