Elements of Design
Colour
Colour is seen either by the way light reflects from a surface or in coloured light sources. Some graphic designers believe 90% of visual communication is achieved by colour. Colour is used to draw attention to a particular part of the image.
 |
Colours are either primary, secondary, or tertiary.
|
 |
Complementary Colours
Complementary colours are opposite to each other on the colour wheel. The complementary colour of a primary colour (red, blue, or yellow) is the colour resulting from mixing the other two primary colours. For example, the complementary colour of primary colour red is secondary colour green, which is made by mixing primary colours blue and yellow. The complementary colour of a secondary colour is the primary colour that was not used to make it. For example, the complementary colour of secondary colour orange is blue. Blue is the primary colour that is not used to make orange. An easy way to determine a complementary colour is to note they are directly opposite on a colour wheel.
When placed next to each other, complementary colours make each other appear brighter, more intense. The shadow of an object also contains its complementary colour. For example, the shadow of a green apple will contain some red.
Analogous Colours
Analogous colours are side-by-side on the colour wheel. These can be used to produce colour harmony. Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are an example of analogous colours. They are blended nicely in Sunflowers, a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. How do you know that these colours are closely related? They share a colour. Each contains some yellow.
Complementary colours are opposite to each other on the colour wheel. The complementary colour of a primary colour (red, blue, or yellow) is the colour resulting from mixing the other two primary colours. For example, the complementary colour of primary colour red is secondary colour green, which is made by mixing primary colours blue and yellow. The complementary colour of a secondary colour is the primary colour that was not used to make it. For example, the complementary colour of secondary colour orange is blue. Blue is the primary colour that is not used to make orange. An easy way to determine a complementary colour is to note they are directly opposite on a colour wheel.
When placed next to each other, complementary colours make each other appear brighter, more intense. The shadow of an object also contains its complementary colour. For example, the shadow of a green apple will contain some red.
Analogous Colours
Analogous colours are side-by-side on the colour wheel. These can be used to produce colour harmony. Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are an example of analogous colours. They are blended nicely in Sunflowers, a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. How do you know that these colours are closely related? They share a colour. Each contains some yellow.
Monochromatic Colours
Monochromatic colour schemes are derived from a single base hue, and they are extended using its shades, tones, and tints. That is, a hue is modified by the addition of black, grey (black + white), and white. As a result, the energy is more subtle and peaceful because of a lack of contrast of hue. Monochromatic colour schemes may be considered boring unless diversity is evident within the design.
Each of the 12 slices on this colour wheel represents a monochromatic colour scheme.
The actual colour blue is shown in the middle space of the enlarged slice. The lighter and darker blue colours on either side are the result of adding more or less black or white to the original colour.
Warm and Cool Colours
