Elements of Colour

Colour.

An understanding of colour and the part it plays in our world is important when making many design decisions.

Colour and Emotions:

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Colour can be strongly associated with emotions.

However, people react very differently to colours,

depending on their personalities and cultures and on

current fashions and trends. For example, some

people may perceive autumnal colours as warm and

cheerful, whereas others may see them as dull and

depressing. Dark browns may be seen as reassuring

or drab. Strong yellows, oranges, and reds may be

taken as stimulating or obtrusive. Because of such

reactions, designers need to take great care when

choosing colours for products and environments.

The Colour Wheel:

The three fundamental colours ( the primary

colours) are red, yellow, and blue. All the other

colours on the wheel are created from mixtures of

these colours.

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Mixing equal amounts of any two primary colours

results in the secondary colour shown between them

on the wheel. That is, yellow and red produce

orange, yellow and blue produce green, and red and

blue produce violet.

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Mixing a primary with a secondary colour results in

the tertiary colour shown between them on the wheel

– for example, mixing red and orange produces red

orange.

Basic Colour Terms:

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Black The combination of all colours; the darkest colour.

White The absence of colour, the lightest colour.

Grey A mixture of black and white.

Pure colour A primary, secondary, or tertiary colour without any white, black or grey added; also called a hue.

Shade A mixture of pure colour with black added.

Tint A mixture of pure colour with white added.

Tone A mixture of pure colour with grey added.

Brightness The relative lightness or darkness of a pure colour – for example yellow is brighter than violet.

Saturation The purity of a colour – that is, its freedom from an addition of white, black or gray.

Transparent colour Thin colour that can be seen through, such as a water colour wash.

Opaque colour Dense, flat colour.

Warm colours Those such as red, oranges, and yellows, often described as active amd advancing.

Cool colours Those such as blues, greens and purples, often described as passive and receding.

Colour Schemes:

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• A monochromatic or one colour scheme may include several values (different degrees of lightness or darkenss) of that colour to avoid monotony.�
• A triadic scheme uses three �colours that are equidistant on the �colour wheel – for example, red, �yellow, and blue. �
• A complementary scheme uses colours�opposite to each other on the colour wheel,�such as red and green or blue and orange. The result is usually vibrant and lively.

Background Colours:�

A given colour will appear different

when placed against different coloured

backgrounds. In the following example,

the same shape is shown in four colours

against different coloured

backgrounds.

Colour Theory: