COLOUR THEORY

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 COLOUR THEORY

INTRODUCTION TO COLOUR THEORY

Colour theory is the name of a field which includes certain rules, methods and guidelines
for the use of colour in art and designing. It’s been used since earlier days, the purpose
of colour theory is to creating schemes of colour that are appealing and conveying an
effective message of the design at individual and psychological level.

Recent Colour theory is primarily based on Sir Isaac Newton's wheel of colour, which
categorical includes all colours in three major types.

1. Primary Colours: (Red, Blue, and Yellow)

2. Secondary Colour: (Created with the help of mixing two primary colours)
3. Intermediate Or Tertiary Colours: (Created with the help of mixing primary and
secondary colours)

Colours can be combined to form one of the five main colour schemes that allow
designers to achieve harmony in their designs.
These are:

 Analogous: Based on three colours located next to each other on the wheel
 Complementary: One or more pairs of colour, when combined, they cancel each
other out (i.e., they produce high contrast)
 Split-complementary: Combination of the analogous and complementary schemes
 Triadic: Using three colour at equal distances from each other on the wheel
 Tetradic: Using two sets of complementary pairs

Colour temperature is another impact-full consideration in design by distinguishing

between warm, cool, and neutral colours, we apparently have the power to evoke
emotional responses in people. Warm colour are those with shades of yellow and red;
cool colour have a blue, green, or purple tint; neutral colour include brown, grey, black,
and white. While these groupings hold true in a general sense, emotional responses to
colour can also be heavily affected by gender, experiences, cultural associations, and
other personal factors. Consequently, researching the traits and expectations of a target
audience is vital for not only fine-tuning the positive impact of colour use in a design but
also preventing design failure.

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 COLOUR THEORY

Colour mixing and the visual effects of a specific colour combination is a practical guide.
Colour theory principles were very first appeared in the writings of Leone Battista Alberti
and the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, a tradition of "colour theory" which initially began
in 18th century, initially within a partisan controversy over Isaac Newton's theory of colour
and the nature of primary colour .With only superficial reference to colour emery and
vision science it developed as an independent artistic tradition.
Enough to fill several encyclopaedias colour theory encompasses a multitude of
definitions, concepts and design applications .
However, there are three basic categories of colour theory that are logical and useful
these are:
1. The colour wheel,
2. The colour harmony,
3. The context of how colour are used.
Colour theories create a logical structure for colour. Let’s say we have a random
collection of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by colour and place them on a
circle that shows the colour in relation to each other.

The Colour Wheel

In the field of art a colour circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional. The first
circular diagram of colour in 1666 was developed by Sir Isaac Newton.
Numerous variations of this concept are being studied by scientists and artists. The
debate is provoked by Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another
whereas in reality, any colour circle or colour wheel which presents a logically arranged
sequence of pure hues has merit.
 Primary Colour : Primary colours are the 3 pigment colour that cannot be mixed
or formed by any combination of other colour in a traditional sense used in paint
and pigments. And all other colour are derived from these 3 hues. These colours
are Red, Yellow and Blue.

 Secondary Colour : These are the colour made by mixing the primary colours
such are Green, Orange and Purple .

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 COLOUR THEORY

 Tertiary Colour : Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green

& yellow-green these colours are formed by mixing primary and secondary colour
is termed as Tertiary Colour. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-
green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
Other type of the wheel colours are:
 Warm colour
 Cool colour
 Neutrals
 Monochromatic
 Complementary
 Analogous
 Mixing Colours
 Colour Meaning

1. The warm colours:

The warm includes red, orange, yellow, and anything in between them. they are
called warm because they’re colour of the sun or fire. warm colours seem to come
out at you in space.

2. The Cool colours:

These colours are blue, green, purple and anything in between them .They are
called cool because they remind you of the earth or a cool creek.

3. Analogous Colours
These colours are located next to each other on the wheel, such as: Blue, Blue-
green, Green, Red, Red-Orange, and Orange. Analogous colours are sometimes
called harmonious colours.

4. Neutrals
Neutrals don't often show up on the colour wheel. Neutrals include black, white,
grey, and sometimes brown and beige. They are sometimes called “earth tones.”
There are a few different ways to make neutrals. You can blend black and white to
make grey. You can create brown in 2 ways by blending two complementary
colours together or by blending all three primary colours together.

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 COLOUR THEORY

5. Monochromatic Colours
A monochromatic scheme consists of different values (tints and shades) of a single
colour. An example of a monochrome colour scheme could include any colour
mixed with white or black. The example above is a green monochromatic colour
scheme. A shade of green is made by mixing green and black. A tint of green is
made by mixing green and white.

6. Complementary Colours
Complementary colours are the colours that are directly across from each other on
the colour wheel: •Blue & Orange •Red & Green •Purple & Yellow

7. COLOR MIXING

Value, Tints, & Shades

 Value: is the lightness or darkness of a colour is called its value.

 Tints are light values that are made by mixing a colour with white. For
example, pink is a tint of red (red white), and grey is a tint of black (black
white).
 Shades are dark values that are made by mixing a colour with black.
Maroon is a shade of red, and navy is a shade of blue.

Colour Harmony
Pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, colour , or even an ice cream
sundae can be defined as Harmony or Colour Harmony.
In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It creates an inner
sense of order and engages to the viewer, a balance in the visual experience. It's either
boring or chaotic when it is not harmonious.
The human brain will reject under-stimulating information and the visual experience is not
so affectionate and the viewer is not engaged. At the other extreme is a visual experience
that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain
rejects what it cannot organize, what it cannot understand. Colour harmony delivers visual
interest and a sense of order and that we may be able to present a logical structure.

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 COLOUR THEORY

Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium which in terms describes under stimulation as extreme

unity and extreme complexity.
There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present
some basic formulas as under.

1. A colour scheme based on analogous colour:

Analogous colour are any three colour which are side by side on a 12-part colour
wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three
colour predominates.

2. A colour scheme based on complementary colour:

Colours which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-
purple and yellow-green are termed as Complimentary Colours.

In the illustration above, there are several varieties of yellow-green in the leaves
and of red-purple in the orchid. These opposing colours create maximum contrast
and maximum stability for the viewer.

3. A colour scheme based on nature

Nature provides a perfect departure point for colour harmony. In the illustration
above, red yellow and green create a harmonious design, regardless of whether
this combination fits into a technical formula for colour harmony.

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 COLOUR THEORY

Colour Context
How colour behaves in relation to other colour and shapes is a complex area of colour
theory. Compare the contrast effects of different colour backgrounds for the same red
square.
Red appears more brilliant against a black background and somewhat duller against the
white background. In contrast with orange, the red appears lifeless; in contrast with blue-
green, it exhibits brilliance. Notice that the red square appears larger on black than on
other background colour .

 Colours affect us in numerous ways, both mentally and physically. A blue colour
has a calming effect whereas it has been observed that a solid red colour heightens
the blood pressure.

 Being able to use colour consciously and harmoniously can help you create
spectacular results.

 The colour wheel is designed so that virtually any colour you pick from it will look
good together, it is a basic tool for combining colours. Over the years, many
variations of the basic design have been made and are being made, but the most
common among all version is a wheel of 12 colour based on the artistic colour
model.

 Colour Harmonies and colour chords are a number of colour combinations that are
considered special for pleasing as they consist a fixed ratio with the colour wheel.

 Colour Impact is designed to dynamically create a colour wheel to match your base
colour .Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Colour

 Tints, Shades, and Tones

These terms are usually practiced incorrectly, although they satisfy fairly simple
colour concepts. The phenomenon is said to be tint, if the colour is made lighter
by adding white. If black is added, the darker version is called a shade. And if grey
is to be added, the result is of a different tone.

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 COLOUR THEORY

 Colour Harmonies
Basic techniques for recreating colour schemes are shown, the basic colour chords
based on the colour wheel.

 Complementary colour scheme

Colours which are opposite to each other on the colour wheel are considered to
be complementary colour i.e. red and green.

 The high contrast of complementary colour is tend to create a vibrant look specially
used at full saturation. This colour scheme has to be managed well so it is not
jarring.

 Complementary colour schemes are typical to use in large doses, but work well
when you want something to stand out.
These colours had bad impact on text purpose.

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