COLOR THEORY

• Color is the perceptual characteristic of light described by a color name.

• Specifically, color is light, and light is composed of many colors—those we see are the colors of the visual spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (ROY G BIV).

• Objects absorb certain wavelengths and reflect others back to the viewer. We perceive these wavelengths as color.

Shade: A hue produced by the

addition of black

Tint: A hue produced by

the addition of white.

THE COLOR WHEEL

Primary Colors Secondary Colors

Tertiary Colors

Complementary Colors: Those colors located

opposite each other on a color wheel

Complementary colors cancel each other out when mixed to create

dark neutrals:

When used together, complementary colors become extremely vibrant and have heavy contrast. They are useful when you want to

make something stand out.

Analagous colors usually match extremely well, but they also create almost no contrast. They're good for very serene-feeling

designs and artwork where you want viewers to feel comfortable.

Analogous Colors: Those colors located close together on a color wheel

Warm Colors: Colors such as red, yellow, and orange. These colors evoke warmth because they remind us of things like the

sun or fire.

Cool Colors: Colors like blue, green, and purple (violet). These colors evoke a cool feeling because they remind us of things like

water or grass.

Neutral colors: In color theory, a color that is neither warm nor cool.

Neutral colors result from the combination of two complementary colors (e.g., red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple).

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