Color Wheel�

Dr. Neeru Bharti Sharma

Assistant Professor

(Dept.of Fine Arts)

HMV Jalandhar

What is Color Wheel?

• The Color Wheel, some times called a color circle, is a circular arrangement of colors organized by their chromatic relationship to one another. The primary colors are equidistant from each other on the wheel, and secondary and tertiary colors sit between them.

 Basics of Contrasting Colors on the Color Wheel�

• Use opposite colors to create complementary color pairs.
• Two colors from different segments of the color wheel are contrasting colors (also known as complementary or clashing colors). For example, red is from the warm half of the color wheel and blue is from the cool half. They are contrasting colors.

In Science and Color Theory

• In science and color theory, there are precise definitions for contrasting and complementary colors and how they appear on the color wheel. In graphic design and some other fields, we use a looser interpretation. Colors don't have to be direct opposites or have a set amount of separation to be considered contrasting or complementary. In design, it's more about perception and feeling. 

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• You may also see these opposite colors referred to as complementary colors, which generally refers to each of a pair of colors that are directly or almost directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as purple and yellow.

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• Reds and greens are contrasting colors. The more transitional colors separating two colors, the greater the contrast. For example, magenta and orange are not as high contrast a pair as magenta and yellow or magenta and green.

• Colors that are directly opposite from one another are said to clash — although this clashing or high contrast is not necessarily a bad thing. Some of these high contrast, complementary, clashing colors are quite pleasing.

Using Contrasting Colors�

• Common color combinations that use two, three, or four contrasting colors are described as complementary, double complementary, triad, and split-complementary color schemes.

• Each additive primary color (RGB) pairs up nicely with a complementary subtractive (CMY) color to create pairs of contrasting colors. Vary the shades of additional complementary colors with less contrast.

• Red (additive) and aqua/cyan (subtractive)
• Green (additive) and fuchsia/magenta (subtractive)
• Blue (additive) and yellow (subtractive)
• In a 12-color RGB color wheel. red, green, and blue are the three primary colors. The three subtractive colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow are the secondary colors. The six tertiary colors (a mix of a primary color with its closest secondary color) are orange, chartreuse, spring green, azure, violet, and rose.

 Design With Blue and Complementary Colors�

• Blue is one of the most common colors used in web design. Using a medium to dark blue encourages a relaxing feel that designers can complement with yellow and orange.
• Consider combining blue colors with orange in a complementary color scheme.

 Design With Blue and Complementary Colors�

• Blue is one of the most common colors used in web design. Using a medium to dark blue encourages a relaxing feel that designers can complement with yellow and orange.
• Consider combining blue colors with orange in a complementary color scheme.
• Opposites Attract and Blue Goes Well With Orange.

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From darkest to lightest, the oranges shown with each blue �

• Dark blues and medium shades of blue symbolize importance, confidence, power, intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. By adding some orange to your predominantly dark blue palette, you introduce some warmth and energy that can keep your palette from being too stilted or overpowering.

TIPS TO USE COLORS

• You don't have to use these exact shades. Go a touch lighter or darker, or step one spot to the left or the right on the color wheel. These color combinations help you find a suitable color palette using blue and orange as the main components.

Mix Deep Blues With Golden Yellow�

• Take dark blues to almost purple and add a splash of sunshine yellow in a complementary color scheme.
• Blue is a cool color moving to warm as you add the purplish tones, while yellow is a warm color on the other side of the color wheel. To avoid unpleasant vibrations, avoid using in equal amounts. Enliven your blue with a splash of yellow (or calm your yellow with a dash of blue).

From darkest to lightest, the yellow shown with each blue �

• Colors that push to the violet-purple side of blue can add a touch of mystery, hints of femininity. It adds warmth to the cool blue.

Shades of Cyan With Dark Orange�

• Medium to dark cyan is blue on the verge of green. Here, various medium blue and cyan shades are teamed with dark brownish orange colors.

• In addition to its calming attributes, this darker shade of blue might carry the symbolism of green, such as balance, harmony, and stability. It gets a bit of warmth and energy when paired with brownish or reddish shades of orange. Brown is a natural, down-to-earth neutral color. Red and cyan are opposites on the color wheel with high contrast, but they aren't necessarily a great combination. Moving from red to orange and darker blues provides a more pleasing palette.

��Blue, Red, and Yellow�

• A split complementary triad takes one color (in this case, blue) and then grabs the colors on either side of that color's complement (opposite color on the color wheel). The complement of pure blue is pure yellow. Medium blue is opposite orange. Depending on what shade of blue you start with and how many intermediate colors you go through, you can match it up with colors from pinkish-red to yellow-green.

• Darker shades of blue denote importance, confidence, power, authority, intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. Red is another power color, but it grabs attention more than blue. Yellow adds some brightness and joy. Using equal amounts of each color would make it childlike (think primary colors), like example #1. However, if you only use small doses of the red and yellow (or nearby colors) with a primarily dark blue color scheme, it's pretty suitable for adult projects that you don't want to appear too serious.

 Adjacent Colors on the Color Wheel�

• On the color wheel, colors that are located next to each other are called adjacent colors. In graphic design, adjacent colors are good choices to use together because they harmonize with one another and they work well together.

• For example, the adjacent colors green, yellow-green and yellow harmonize with each other. So do purple and reddish-purple and red. Each adjacent color has a little touch of the other colors. The green has yellow in it, and purple has a touch of red.

• Small color wheels don't show all the intermediate color shades. A too-basic-for-designers color wheel shows yellow and red as adjacent colors, but if you expand the wheel, you'll see the orange colors that come between them. 

Analogous Color Harmony�

• Of the several types of color harmonies, analogous harmony uses three to five shades of adjacent colors. The trio of red, red-orange and orange is considered an analogous harmonizing trio of adjacent colors.

• The selection of red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange and yellow is also an analogous harmony. Analogous harmonies are made of colors that sit next to one another on the color wheel.

List of Harmonizing Color Schemes�

• Harmonizing color schemes are simple, but they can make a strong impression in graphic designs. There are 12 basic 3-color harmonizing color schemes: Red, red-orange and orange.

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• Red, red-orange and orange
• Red-orange, orange and yellow-orange
• Orange, yellow-orange and yellow
• Yellow-orange, yellow and yellow-green
• Yellow, yellow-green and green
• Yellow-green, green, blue-green
• Green, blue-green and blue
• Blue-green, blue and purple
• Blue, blue-purple and purple
• Blue-purple, purple and red-purple
• Purple, red-purple and red
• Red-purple, red and red-orange

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• A color wheel is simply a jumping-off tool. These simple color schemes only give you a start on a design. Once you find the harmonizing color scheme that works for your design, you'll spend time looking at charts that may contain hundreds of ink colors (for print) or web colors (for websites) to select just the right shade or tint of the basic color to use in your design.

• Trust your design instincts to pick the shade that looks right to you. Stay away from using your adjacent colors at the same brightness levels though. Usually dialing the intensity of one or more of the colors back works better in design. 

When Harmony Isn't the Goal�

• What if instead of having all your colors harmonize, you want something to jump out at the reader. Then you want to select a color opposite one of your harmonizing colors on the color wheel. The color opposite yellow is blue. Blue is called a complementary color to yellow. The term complementary means they work well together, but they are not close in color. In fact, they have nothing in common. They provide a striking effect when used together, but one that gets attention.