Color Wheel Theory

Colors organized into a system

Color theory applies to both the physical and psychological properties of color. They can change the way you feel. So use them to draw attention, set a mood, or make a statement.

Reds can raise your blood pressure whereas blues can calm you. Be careful about choosing the right colors as you are exploiting a powerful design element. If you use colors consciously and systematically, the results can be spectacular.

History

Newton studied light in prisms.

Sir Isaac Newton designed the first color wheel in 1666. Newton gave us the common 12-color wheel using red, yellow, and blue (RYB), which is known as the artistic or subtractive color model.

Artists and designers still choose to organise color by Newton's wheel system, which is a standard tool for combining colors.

The Basics

Know your color groups

Colors are split into three groups known as primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Primary colors are made up of red, yellow, and blue.

There are also three secondary colors, which are mixtures from adding two primaries, such as orange, which is made from mixing yellow and red. There are then six tertiary colors after that.

Warm and Cool Effects

The color wheel may then be divided into two sections: warm colors and cool colors. If you look at warm colors such as oranges or reds, you feel a sense of warmth and vivid energy. Subconsciously, warm colors tend to advance in a space, i.e., appear closer to you.

Cool colors, on the other hand, create an impression of calmness and are soothing. They will also appear farther away from you.

Considerations

Blue-gray cools the scene

Black and white are important also. Shades, tints, and tones are the words used to describe colors when black, white, and gray are added.

When white is added to a color, it is made lighter; this is called a tint. When black is added to make a color darker, it is called a shade. When gray is added, it makes a different tone.

Artists and designers view the addition of black, white, and gray as being emotionally neutral.

Complementary, Analogous, and Discordant Color

Use color theory in your home environment or in mixing and matching your clothing more effectively. Colors opposite to each other on the color wheel are known as complementary colors (for example, red and green) because we generally feel they complement each other.

Analogous color schemes are created when you put together colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. For example, a pure blue next to a blue-green next to a vivid green appears harmonious to the eye.

Complexities

Colors interplay side by side

You may make your color wheel combinations more complex by using the split-complementary color scheme, the rectangle (tetradic) color scheme, or the square color scheme.

These schemes work by guiding you to choose specific colors adjacent to each other according to an imaginary triangle, square, or rectangular you place over the wheel. For best effect, you are then advised to select only the colors that lie in the corners of each shape (best shown in links below).

Tips

Does your color choice stand out?

Although the high contrast of complementary colors creates a vibrant look, at full saturation the effect can appear harsh.

Complementary colors are really bad for text and are tricky to use in big combinations. They do stand out but sometimes too much and can feel jarring to the eye.

When using analogous (or harmonious) colors, artists and designers advise having enough contrast when creating your color scheme.

References

• Tiger Color
• Color Theory Basics
• Color Matters

Resources

• Colors on the Web