Color theory is that the
collection of rules and guidelines which designers use to speak with users
through appealing color schemes in visual interfaces.
To pick the simplest
colors whenever, designers use a color circle and ask extensive collected
knowledge about human optical ability, psychology, culture and more.
Color theory is both the
science and art of using color. It explains how humans perceive color; and
therefore the visual effects of how colors mix, match or contrast with one
another.
Color theory also involves
the messages colors communicate; and therefore the methods wont to replicate
color. In color theory, colors are organized on a color circle and grouped into
3 categories: primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors.
Color
wheel basics
The color wheel consists
of three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colors (colors
created when primary colors are mixed: green, orange, purple) and 6 tertiary
colors (colors made up of primary and secondary colors, like blue-green or
red-violet).
Draw a line through the
middle of the wheel, and you’ll separate the nice and cozy colors (reds,
oranges, yellows) from cool colors (blues, greens, purples) and therefore the
remaining colors will come under neutrals.
Warm colors are generally
related to energy, brightness, and action, whereas cool colors are often
identified with calm, peace, and serenity.
When you recognize that color features a temperature, you'll understand how choosing all warm or all cool colors during a logo or on your website can impact your message.
Warm
colors
Warm colors include red,
orange, and yellow, and variations of these three colors. These are the colors
of fireside, of fall leaves, and of sunsets and sunrises, and are generally
energizing, passionate, and positive.
Red and yellow are both
primary colors, with orange falling within the middle (making it a secondary
color), which suggests warm colors are all truly warm and aren’t created by
combining a warm color with a cool color.
Use warm colors in your designs to reflect passion, happiness, enthusiasm, and energy.
1. Red (primary)
Red is the color of
extremes. It’s the color of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger,
anger, and adventure.
Our prehistoric ancestors
saw red because the color of fireside and blood – energy and primal life forces
– and most of red’s symbolism today arises from its powerful associations in
the past.
Red is also a magical and
religious color. It symbolized super-human heroism to the Greeks and is that
the color of the Christian crucifixion. Red was almost as rare and as expensive
as purple in ancient days – an incontrovertible fact that may explain its magic
and power.
Red is that the color of
excellent luck in Asia and is that the hottest color China. Most Japanese
children draw the sun as an enormous red circle. In East Asian stock markets,
red is used to denote a rise in stock prices.
Red is an auspicious color
for marriage. Brides in India and Nepal wear red saris; in Japan, a red kimono
symbolizes happiness and good luck. In design, red are often a strong accent
color.
It can have an
overwhelming effect if it’s used too much in designs, especially in its purest
form. It’s an excellent color to use when power or passion want to be portrayed
within the design.
Red are often very versatile, though, with brighter versions being more energetic and darker shades being more powerful and stylish.
2. Yellow (primary)
Yellow is that the most
luminous of all the colors of the spectrum. It’s the color that captures our
attention quite the other color. It’s the color of happiness, and optimism, of
enlightenment and creativity, sunshine and spring.
Lurking within the background
is that the dark side of yellow: cowardice, betrayal, egoism, and madness.
Furthermore, yellow is the color of caution and physical illness (jaundice,
malaria, and pestilence).
In almost every culture
yellow represents sunshine, happiness, and heat. Yellow is that the color most
frequently related to the deity in many religions (Hinduism and Ancient Egypt).
Yellow is that the color
of traffic lights and signs indicating caution everywhere the planet. In Japan,
yellow often represents courage. In China, adult movies are referred to as
yellow movies.
In Russia, a colloquial
expression for a mental hospital won’t to be "yellow house. Bright
marigold yellow may be associated with death in some areas of Mexico.
In your designs, bright
yellow can lend a way of happiness and cheerfulness. Softer yellows are
commonly used as a gender-neutral color for babies (rather than blue or pink)
and young children.
Light yellows also provide a more calm feeling of happiness than bright yellows. Dark yellows and gold-hued yellows can sometimes look antique and be utilized in designs where a way of permanence is desired.
3. Orange (secondary)
Orange may be a
combination of yellow and red and is taken into account an active color. Orange
calls to mind feelings of pleasure, enthusiasm, and heat. Orange is usually
wont to draw attention, like in traffic signs and advertising.
Orange is energetic, which
is probably why many sports teams use orange in their uniforms, mascots, and
branding.
Orange is additionally the
color of bright sunsets and fruits like oranges and tangerines, numerous people
might associate the color with the sweetness of a setting sun or the refreshing
taste of citrus.
Because orange is related
to the fruit of an equivalent name, it is often related to health and vitality.
In designs, orange commands attention without being as overpowering as red.
It’s often considered more friendly and alluring, and fewer in-yours-faces.
Cool colors
Cool colors include green,
blue, and purple, and variations of these three colors. Blue is that the only
primary color within the cool spectrum. Greens combat a number of the
attributes of yellow and purple takes on a number of the attributes of red.
They are often more
subdued than warm colors. Cool colors appear farther from the observer.
1. Green (secondary)
Green may be a cool color
that symbolizes nature and therefore the wildlife. Perhaps due to its strong
associations with nature, green is usually thought to represent tranquility,
good luck, health, and jealousy.
Researchers have also
found that green can improve reading ability. Some students may find that
laying a transparent sheet of report over reading increases reading speed and
comprehension.
Green is usually utilized
in decorating for its calming effect. For example, guests waiting to see on
television programs often wait during a “green room” to relax. Green is assumed
to alleviate stress and help heal.
Green, the color of life,
renewal, nature, and energy, is related to meanings of growth, harmony,
freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. Green is additionally
traditionally related to money, finances, banking, ambition, greed, jealousy
and Wall Street.
2. Blue (primary)
Blue is embraced because
the color of heaven and authority, denim jeans and company logos. It is cold,
wet, and slow as compared to red’s warmth, fire, and intensity.
Blue has more complex and
contradictory meanings than the other color. These can be easily explained by
pinpointing by the specific shade of blue.
Dark blue: trust, dignity,
intelligence, authority
Bright blue: cleanliness,
strength, dependability, coolness (The origin of those meanings arise from the
qualities of the ocean and inland waters, most of which are more tangible)
Light (sky) blue: peace,
serenity, ethereal, spiritual, infinity (The origin of those meanings is that
the intangible aspects of the sky.)
Most blues convey a way of
trust, loyalty, cleanliness, and understanding. On the opposite hand, blue
evolved as symbol of depression in American culture.
3. Purple (secondary)
Purple is that the most
powerful visible wavelength of electromagnetic energy. Variations of purple
convey different meanings: Light purples are light-hearten, floral, and
romantic. The dark shades are more intellectual and dignified.
One of the foremost significant
aspects of purple’s symbolism is that the generational divide. Among
Mediterranean people, purple was reserved for emperors and popes. The Japanese
christened it “Imperial Purple”
Purples are utilized in
the care of mental of nervous disorders because they need shown to assist
balance the mind and transform obsessions and fears.
Purple is that the color of popular children's television characters – "Barney" and "Tinky Winky" (the purple Teletubby from the BBC). In design, dark purples can provide a sense wealth and luxury. Light purples are softer and are related to spring and romance.
Neutrals
Neutral colors are most
clearly defined as hues that appear to be without color, which don’t typically
appear on the color wheel. Neutrals can enhance the variation in a piece,
creating subtle visual interest that both diminishes the vibrancy of the piece
as a whole and highlights the focal points.
Neutrals have many other
visual effects: when combined with shades, tones, and tints, they allow for
shading, as darker or lighter neutrals help to create a realistic lighting
effect.
1. Black
The color black affects
the mind and body by helping to make a not noticeable feeling, boosting
confidence in appearance, increasing the sense of potential and possibility, or
producing feelings of emptiness, gloom, or sadness.
Black is often considered
the strongest of neutrals. It is associated with dominance, darkness,
sophistication, authority, seriousness, affluence, quality, mystery, drama,
fear, death, evil, and grief. All blacks generally have a negative connotation.
Black is that the
traditional color of mourning in many Western countries. It’s also related to
rebellion in some cultures, and is related to Halloween and therefore the
occult.
Black, when used as more
than an accent or for text, is commonly used in edgier designs, as well as in
very elegant designs. It can be conservative or modern, traditional or
unconventional, depending on the colors it’s combined with.
2. White
White represents purity or
innocence. While a bride wearing white was often thought to convey the bride's
virginity, blue was once a traditional color worn by brides to symbolize
purity.
White is bright and may
create a way of space or add highlights. Designers often use the color white to
form rooms appear bigger and more spacious. In advertising, white is related to
coolness and cleanliness because it is the color of snow.
You can use white to
suggest simplicity in high-tech products. White is an appropriate color for
charitable organizations; angels are usually imagined wearing white clothes.
White is related to
hospitals, doctors, and sterility, so you'll use white to suggest safety when
promoting medical products. White is usually related to low weight, low-fat
food, and dairy products.
3. 3. Gray
The color gray could also
be a timeless and practical color that's often associated with loss or
depression. Dark, charcoal communicates variety of the strength and mystery of
black.
It is sophisticated colors
that lack the negativity of the color black. Light grays can carry variety of
the attributes of the color white. The grey color affects the mind and body by
causing unsettling feelings. Light grays are feminine in nature, while dark
grays are masculine in nature.
Grey is often used for font
color, headers, graphics, and even products to appeal to a mass audience. On
the web site, they use the color grey for his or her header to contrast against
a white logo.
4. 4. Brown
Brown could also be a
natural color that evokes how of strength and reliability. It's often seen as
solid, very similar to the world, and it is a color often related to
resilience, dependability, security, and safety.
Brown brings to mind
feelings of warmth, comfort, and security. It's often described as natural,
down-to-earth, and traditional, but brown also can be sophisticated.
The color brown relates to
quality in everything - a cushy home, the only food and drink and constant
companionship. It’s a color of physical comfort, simplicity and quality.
The color brown gives
reassurance. It’s quietly confident but never the lifetime of the party! Brown
doesn't seek attention - it prefers to stay within the background, allowing
other colors around it to shine.
5. 5. Beige
and Tan
Beige is dependable,
conservative, and versatile. The color beige is neutral, calm, and relaxing. The
color beige offers variety of the warmth of the color brown and thus the
variety of the crisp and coolness of the color white.
Beige in design is
typically utilized in backgrounds, and is typically seen in backgrounds with a
paper texture. It’ll combat the characteristics of colors around it, meaning its
little effect in itself on the last word impression a design gives when used
with other colors.
6. 6. Cream
and Ivory
Ivory a neutral, relaxing,
and calming color, features a number of the same pureness and softness of the color
white, but with a warmer tone. Ivory represents quiet and pleasantness. The color
ivory sets relaxed tone of understated elegance.
Cream gets its name from
the foodstuff naturally produced by grazing cows. To form the straw hue, white
is mixed with a tad of yellow. In art, cream is usually used as a base for skin
tones. A quiet and pleasant hue, cream is neutral, calm and relaxing.
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