The Role of Color in Design
Just FACS
Why Study Color?
• The human eye can see as many as 6-7 million colors! This means is has a BIG IMPACT in the fashion and design industry.
• In this lesson, we will understand how colors have an impact on our wardrobes by emphasizing our body’s special features (ex. Eyes), create illusions in height/shape, and how it affects our moods.
• You may have learned this in art or interior design.
Color Wheel
• Primary colors: red, yellow, and blue
• Secondary colors: orange, green, and violet
• Tertiary colors (intermediate colors): combination of primary and secondary
Components of Color• Pigments- substances that
absorb some light rays and reflect others.
• Hue is the color feature that makes one color different from others (primary, secondary, tertiary)
• Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color.– Intensity lessons when mixed with
complement color
– Complement color is the color opposite it on the color wheel.
• Value is the lightness or darkness of a color (amount of black or white in the color)
• Adding white to a hue creates a tint.
– Lightens a color
– Ex. Pink is a tint of red.
• Adding black to a hue creates a shade.
– Darkens a color
– Ex. Navy blue is a shade of blue
• Adding gray to a color creates a tone.
Colors as Symbols
• Traffic light – red, yellow, green
• Holiday colors
• Groups – countries (flags), sports teams, etc.
Warm Colors
• Warm colors: red, orange, and yellow
– People seek red, orange, gold, and brown in the fall to feel warm on chilly mornings
– Warm colors tend to advance/move towards you
– Excitement, cheerful, action
Cool Colors
• Cool colors: blues, greens, and purples
– Often worn in spring and summer because they create a cooling feeling
– Tend to recede or move away from you
– Calm and relaxing
Colors and Mood!
• Red- bold, excited, or nervous
• Orange- less aggressive, makes you feel friendly, hopeful, or energized
• Yellow- cheerfulness, happiness
– Gold is similar but more formal
• Blue- calm but formal
Color Scheme
• A combination of colors that is pleasing to the eyes because of the values and intensities.
• Provides guidelines for designing successfully with color.
• Color schemes look best when one color dominates.
Types of Color Schemes1. Neutral
2. Monochromatic
3. Analogous
4. Complementary
5. Split-Complementary
6. Triadic
Neutral• White, black, and gray
• Why are black and white not on the color wheel?
– Not true colors
– All light absorbed = black
– All light reflected = white
• Useful because they change value/intensity of color
• Beige and brown are sometimes considered neutral but are not true neutral because they have a yellow or green base
• Accent colors are often used with neutral color schemes
Monochromatic• Tints and shades of
one color on the color wheel
• Changing value and intensity of the hue
• Quiet, restful effect on room
Analogous•2 to 5 hues next to each other on the color wheel
•More visually pleasing to use a primary, secondary, and tertiary grouping
Complementary
•Two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/bitmaps/10438/complementarywheel.jpg
Complementary?
Split Complementary
• Three colors, they combine one color with the two colors on each side of its complement
Triad•Three colors that are equal distance apart on the color wheel.
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/bitmaps/10438/triadicwheel.jpg
Things to Consider
• What type of mood do you want to set with your outfit?
• What are you attending/doing today?
Review!
TriadSplit-Complementary
ComplementaryAnalogousMonochromaticNeural
Warm Colors Cool Colors
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/bitmaps/10438/triadicwheel.jpghttp://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/bitmaps/10438/complementarywheel.jpg
REVIEW!1. Neutral2. Monochromatic3. Analogous4. Complementary5. Split-Complementary6. Triad
A B C D E F
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