Color Theory

During the second meeting we learn more about color theory.  Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications. Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of clothes, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other.

Color wheel

There are categories  of colors based on the color wheel. We begin with a 3-part color wheel.

Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue

These are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.

Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple

These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.

Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green

These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

Here are some terms to remember.

Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.

In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience.  Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order. Extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation. Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium.

  Analogous colors

 These colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.

 Complementary colors

These colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration above, there are several variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations of red-purple in the orchid. These opposing colors create maximum contrast and maximum stability.

Monochromatic colors are all the colors (tints, tones, and shades) of a single hue.

Example of a monochromatic color scheme

Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue and extended using its shades, tones and tints. Tints are achieved by adding white and shades and tones are achieved by adding a darker color, gray or black.

Tint is the mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness. 

Shade is the mixture of a color with black, which reduces lightness. tone is produced either by the mixture of a color with gray, or by both tinting and shading.

Tone is produced either by the mixture of a color with gray, or by both tinting and shading.


Hue refers to a pure color—one without tint or shade (added white or black pigment, respectively).