Elements of Design

Colour is seen either by the way light reflects off a surface, or in coloured light sources. Colour and particularly contrasting colour is also used to draw the attention to a particular part of the image. There are primary colours, secondary colours, and tertiary (third level) colours. Complementary colours are colours that are opposite to each other on the colour wheel.

Complementary Colours:

The complementary colour of a primary colour (red, blue, or yellow) is the colour you get by mixing the other two primary colours. So the complementary colour of red is green, of blue is orange, and of yellow is purple. The complementary of a secondary colour is the primary colour that wasn't used to make it. So the complementary colour of green is red, of orange is blue, and of purple is yellow. An easy way to determine a complementary colour is that they are directly opposite on a colour wheel.

Why are Complementary Colours Important in Colour Theory?
When placed next to each other, complementary colours make each other appear brighter, more intense. The shadow of an object will also contain its complementary colour, for example the shadow of a green apple will contain some red.

Analogous Colours:

Analogous colours are colours that are found side by side on the colour wheel. These can be used to create 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 of them contains some yellow.

Vincent Van Gogh  Sunflowers  (1888)

Monochromatic colours:

Monochromatic colour schemes are derived from a single base hue, and extended using its shades, tones and tints (that is, a hue modified by the addition of black, gray (black + white) and white). As a result, the energy is more subtle and peaceful due to a lack of contrast of hue. Monochromatic colour schemes may be considered boring unless there is diversity within the design.

Warm & Cool Colours:

Warm colours are a group of colours that consist of reds, yellows, and oranges. Cool colours are groups of colours that consist of purples, greens, and blues.

Colour Theory:

Understanding and utilizing colour effectively comes more easily to some than others; however, one thing is certain–the study of colour deserves your attention. It is a powerful and highly provocative design element. Colour is difficult to control when creating an original work, and even more so when work is reproduced in print or viewed on a computer screen.

We can discuss colour more specifically if we divide the elements of colour into three categories:

Hue:

Hue is the name of the colour, for example, red or green, blue or orange.

Value:

Value is the range of lightness or darkness, for example a light green or a dark green, a light yellow or dark yellow. Shade, tone, and tint are different aspects of value.

Saturation:

Saturation is the brightness or dullness of a colour, that is, bright red (100%) or dull red (10%), bright blue or dull blue. Chroma and intensities are synonyms for saturation.

Try This:

While no one but you may see this hands on exercise, take the time to do it just as if you were turning it in for a grade. It will help reinforce what you have learned.

1. On a sheet of paper create a colour wheel. Be sure to include the primary, secondary and intermediate colours. Use coloured pencils to create your colours.

2. Look at brochures, books, ads, business cards, and other print projects and find examples of warm, cool, and neutral colour palettes. Find 2-3 examples that you consider excellent use of colour. Find 2-3 examples that you consider poor use of colour. What makes each example work or not work? Look for overuse of colour, colour pairings that clash horribly, and unusual colour combinations that 'work.' Compare the colours used and purpose of the piece to the general colour symbolism described in the supplemental material. Is there a connection or did that piece 'fly in the face of convention' and use those colours in an unexpected way?